


Ghosts of Byzantium

by raspberrycoffeecake



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Emperor Hux, Empress Rey, Established Kylux, Except Phasma, F/M, First Times, Knight Kylo Ren, Knights and Wizards, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, Medieval Fantasy with a Byzantine Aesthetic, Medium Slow Burn, Multi, Phasma is a Badass, Reylo - Freeform, Reylux - Freeform, Reyux, Threesome - F/M/M, everyone is bi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-05-31 21:00:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 80,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15127736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raspberrycoffeecake/pseuds/raspberrycoffeecake
Summary: Rey, the chieftain of a desert tribe, has her life turned upside-down when Emperor Hux conquers her people and demands that she marry him.  But as she finds herself pulled deeper into palace intrigues, she begins to realize that the real threat may not be her husband and his First Knight, Kylo Ren, at all - but something entirely more sinister.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new Reylux medieval/Byzantine fantasy AU! 
> 
> Many plot elements will be shamelessly borrowed from a variety of fantasy novels, but special shout out to Dennis Jones' The Stone and the Maiden, the Byzantine fantasy novel of my dreams.
> 
> Elements from both Byzantine and Ottoman history and culture will show up at various points, but I make no claim to any kind of historical accuracy.

_**Prologue** _

Kylo Ren saw shock appear on Armitage Hux’s face for approximately thirty seconds.

Then it was gone, and the new Emperor was in command again, his fear and perhaps even grief at his father’s sudden death immediately converted into that tight, coiled energy that made the slim redhead so formidable.

But it was too late. Kylo had seen, on the face of this man who never seemed uncertain, a flash of indecision. He knew there was human fear and vulnerability lurking somewhere under Hux’s polished exterior.

***

The return to the palace was surreal. Their party had ridden fast and hard, and had arrived before any messengers could, so no one at court knew of the old Emperor’s death and Snoke’s disappearance until they rode through the gates. Lady Phasma had returned with them and started preparing for an immediate coronation, but tonight things were still quiet as Kylo and Hux wandered through the ghost-quiet living quarters.

Kylo ran his hand over a doorframe leading to yet another empty room. “You should move to your mother’s old rooms, Hux.” He peered in at the gaudy Imperial colors in the empty sitting room. “Fewer unpleasant memories there.”

Hux was quiet for a moment, as if he were pondering the suggestion. “For tonight,” he finally agreed. “I don’t have any desire to sleep in the Emperor’s unwashed sheets.”

Kylo didn’t bother to correct Hux, to remind him that he was now the Emperor. He followed his new sovereign through the courtyards that led to the old harem quarters, reflecting on the fact that this was the first time he had entered the palace beholden to no one. There was nothing keeping him here.

He should go after Snoke. The old wizard would come after him eventually, so he would only be delaying the inevitable and putting more lives at risk if he stayed away.

They had now reached one of the bedrooms in the harem section, which was at present comfortably outfitted as a guest room, its bed neatly made and its wide windows open to the night air.

Hux moved to look out one of the windows, his back turned to Kylo as he looked out over the moonlit harbor, allowing the breeze to gently toss his short hair. It was the first quiet moment Hux had had since becoming Emperor, and Kylo found himself entranced by the sight of the young man slowly coming to terms with the position he now held.

After several minutes, he turned to look at Kylo. “I hope you’ll consider taking part in the coronation as my First Knight.”

Kylo looked at the new Emperor sharply. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t considered the possibility that his longtime rival might offer him the position. But he shook his head. “My duty lies elsewhere.”

Hux’s expression never faltered. The man was nothing if not crafty and manipulative, and Kylo could see the wheels turning in his head even as his pulse started to speed up under Hux’s intense gaze. Hux moved a step closer.

His next words clearly took a lot out of Hux. He was not a man used to begging. “I need you by my side, Ren. When Snoke comes back, I want you at the front of my army.”

Kylo sighed. Hux’s words were tempting, but he had a job to do.

He was turning to leave the room when Hux sank to his knees before Kylo, his gaze never leaving Kylo’s. The sight of the new Emperor submitting before him and the smoldering desire obvious in Hux’s eyes made Kylo’s breath quicken and his cock twitch. He felt his heart beating faster even as, rationally, he knew this was just another Hux ploy to convince Kylo to add his powers to the Empire’s arsenal.

Hux did not miss Kylo’s physical reaction to his gesture. He reached out to touch Kylo, fingers ghosting over his shaft, before reaching up to free Kylo from his trousers.

Kylo moaned and leaned back against the wall when Hux pressed a kiss to Kylo’s half-hard cock. Then Hux licked down to the base and suckled lightly on one ball as his hand grasped the other. Kylo grabbed Hux’s hair, and the redhead took Kylo’s entire shaft into his mouth, where Kylo could feel himself hardening to his full length.

It was too much and not enough at once. Kylo had barely allowed Hux to suck him to full hardness when he grunted, “Turn around,” and grabbed Hux by the collar of his tunic, pushing him down onto the bed in front of them. Hux’s only response to Kylo’s rough treatment was to shove his tunic over his head and his pants down his legs as Kylo did the same with his own clothes. He then followed Kylo’s instruction and got on all fours, his ass facing toward where Kylo stood at the end of the bed. Kylo felt his breath hitch in anticipation.

For the first time, Kylo had reason to appreciate the old Emperor’s obsession with anticipating every possible need of his guests - he found a small bottle of oil where he expected one might be, on a shelf by the bed. Uncorking it and pouring some on his hands, he slathered some on his now very erect cock and then ran his finger lightly along Hux’s hole. He felt Hux shiver beneath him, and bent to kiss the redhead gently on the back of his neck.

“Alright?” It felt odd to show tenderness toward this man he had for so long considered to be nothing but a pain, but Hux looked so vulnerable like this.

Hux nodded stiffly.

Then something occurred to Kylo. He nuzzled against Hux’s neck reassuringly. “I’ve never done this before, either. We’ll figure it out together.”

Hux said nothing in reply, but he sighed and his tense body visibly relaxed.

In his early days at the palace, before Snoke had moved him to adjoining rooms to better keep an eye on his apprentice, Kylo had roomed in the officers’ barracks, so he had witnessed all kinds of lovemaking among different partners. Recalling what he had seen men do when they took another man, he slid an oiled finger gently into Hux’s ass and marveled at how tight he found it. He waited until he heard the redhead moan and felt him quiver before sliding in another.

“Are you ready for me?” he murmured.

Hux nodded, and Kylo slowly pushed inside him, allowing Hux time to adjust to him before pressing further. When he was fully inside, Kylo wrapped his arms around Hux’s and pressed another soft kiss to the back of the redhead’s neck in reassurance.

“Fuck, Ren,” Hux moaned, and Kylo began to move, setting a slow pace until Hux’s hips moved to encourage him to pump faster. Kylo wrapped a free hand around Hux’s dick and stroked hard.

Kylo had never felt anything like this before. This connection to another person, so completely intimate although he couldn’t even see his lover’s eyes. That would be something they would need to modify for future assignations, Kylo thought, even as he balked at the fact that he had so casually accepted that there would be a next time.

But he already knew that Hux had won. Against his better judgement, Kylo would stay and help Hux rebuild and prepare to defend against Snoke.

Kylo let his thoughts drift away, falling into the motion of his hips against Hux’s, and Hux’s moans in time to Kylo’s strokes on his dick.

As Kylo felt Hux about to spill over in his hand, it pushed him over the edge, and they came together, reaching ecstasy and then falling, suddenly boneless, onto the bed. Hux didn’t protest even when Kylo pulled him against his broad chest and started running his hands lightly over the redhead’s stomach.

“So?” Hux murmured, still thinking toward the future even after Kylo had fucked him stupid. “Will you stay?”

Kylo groaned and bit Hux’s neck as vengeance, eliciting a very satisfying yelp from the smaller man. “You bastard, you already know the answer. Of course I’m staying.”

Hux snuggled closer against Kylo’s chest. “Good.” They were silent for a long moment. “I think I’ll take these quarters,” Hux added thoughtfully. “They’ll suit us well.”

Kylo didn’t argue with Hux’s use of the word “we.” He was the Emperor’s First Knight now. And he was surprised to realize that he didn’t mind at all.


	2. Chapter 2

__

_**Two Years Later** _

Rey sucked in a breath of the hot desert air, closing her eyes to let its dry touch fill her throat, allowing the scratch it created to keep her focus firmly on the moment. Below her horse’s hooves, the ground began to shake softly, signaling that the enemy troops were about to enter the ravine at her feet.

They had a wizard among their ranks, so Rey knew their chances of successfully ambushing the Imperial army were low. But she also knew this was the best chance her much smaller forces had at rebuffing this advance before the Empire turned this foray into a permanent occupation.

She looked over at Poe, who was at the head of her small cavalry division. He winked at her, and she shook her head - typical. He had some young riders in his ranks - many barely tall enough to mount a full-sized horse without aid - and she couldn’t help but fear for how many of them would return home to their family tents this evening.

On her other side, Finn was standing at the front of his infantry troops, his training in the Imperial ranks evident in his stoic calm and straight-backed posture. He nodded at her, then returned his attention to the gulley, waiting for Rey to call out the charge.

Finally, on the opposite side of the embankment, Rey could barely see Rose’s archers preparing to rain arrows and stones from their slingshots down on the enemy troops.

She had never been especially religious, but the situation was dire, and she knew Finn would appreciate the gesture, so Rey sent up a silent prayer to the Mother Goddess to protect her people and help them drive this enemy off their land once and for all.

Rey closed her eyes. Below her, she could feel the rumble of feet and hooves and wheels drawing nearer. Taking a final deep breath, she raised her sword and rode forward, her troops following directly at her heels.

The horses and soldiers descended into the ravine, and Rey allowed herself to briefly hope their ambush might have a chance, until she saw the impenetrable wall of shields waiting for them.So much for surprise.

Rey now felt certain that, if they wanted to take out this arm of the Imperial army, they would need to take out the wizard who was predicting their moves. Scanning the ranks of red and gold before her, she caught an unmistakable flash of black and spurred her horse toward it, trusting her commanders to handle the fight in the gulley until she could give them an advantage.

Rey skirted the heaviest fighting in an effort to catch up with the wizard, listening for the sounds of incoming stray arrows and lances and dodging them as she kept her attention on the man she was pursuing.The sounds of the fighting had fallen to a low hum in the distance when the wizard finally stopped and dismounted, and waited for her on foot, a large broadsword in his hands.

Rey knew enough about the Empire from neighboring tribes who had fought against them before to recognize this man as Kylo Ren. She stubbornly ignored the chill that crept down her spine as she looked at this man, dressed in solid black with his helmet’s visor down, so she could see nothing of his face. And she shoved down the hint of panic that had crept into her chest as she suddenly recalled the stories she had heard about horrific things he did to his victims. That fear would not serve her, and she needed to defeat him if her people stood any chance of driving the Empire away.

Her horse would be no help in this fight, so she dismounted and slapped his rump to send him a safe distance away. Then she steadied her grip on her own sword and waited for his attack.

She didn’t have long to wait. With no visible tensing of muscles to give his motion away beforehand, Kylo Ren lunged forward, locking her lighter blade with his. She ducked under his blade and leapt away, wincing at the loud metallic clang when he attacked again and their swords locked once more. He was bearing down on her, and she knew that in a contest of pure muscle, she wouldn’t be able to hold for long against his bulk. So she ducked away again and put all her strength into a fast lunge, hoping that she could hit him before he was able to counter.

Suddenly, she found herself frozen, her sword clattering to the ground. He bent, his movements agonizingly slow, to pick it up and run a gloved hand over it. Then he approached her, his steps somehow both menacing and utterly calm.

“If you’re going to kill me, Kylo Ren, just get it over with,” she spat, willing herself to stay strong in the face of her masked attacker.

He reached a gloved hand up and touched her cheek where a tendril of hair had come free from her helmet, and she found herself shivering.  What in the Goddess’ name did this knight want?

When he spoke, his voice was low and somehow just as enticing as his movements were repellent. “I have no interest in killing you, Rey of Alderaan. My master has instructed me to bring you to him alive, and he would be most displeased if I disobeyed him.”

Rey tried to move her head to look behind her and assess her chances of making it to her mount and escaping, but the hold Kylo Ren had placed her in wouldn’t budge. As far as she could tell, she was well and truly stuck, at least for the moment.

Then, before she had the chance to process what was happening, Kylo Ren had picked her up and heaved her still-frozen body over the saddle of his horse, then mounted up gracefully behind her. He pressed his mount into a fast canter, and just as soon as she felt her limbs returning to normal, he pulled her tightly against his chest, using his powerful muscles to prevent her escape as he had used his magic before. And even though it was clearly an act of war, the intimacy of the gesture made her shiver in anticipation of what she might be facing next.

Eventually, at a good distance from the ravine, far out of range of any raid her people could launch from their base, they arrived at the Empire’s encampment. In the center of what looked like a city of tents was an especially large tent with brilliant crimson and gold sides bearing the symbol of the Empire.

Kylo Ren dismounted in front of the tent, tying his mount up before he hauled Rey down and pushed her before him through a flap that opened into the tent. In that same low voice, he announced, “Rey of Alderaan, Your Majesty.”

A man stood from where he had been examining a set of maps at a small table and approached them. Rey sucked in a breath. She had heard that the Emperor was old and gray, but this man was young and fit, with a shock of bright red hair. And he wasn’t wearing the sort of finery she expected an Emperor to wear - his tunic was red with modest gold decoration, and he wore no jewelry or crown. But from the authority in his step, there could be no mistake: this man was royalty.

When he stopped a hands breadth away from her, Rey felt dwarfed by these two men, the one before her tall, if delicately built, and the one behind her even taller and apparently made of nothing but muscle.

The Emperor reached forward and took one of her hands with a small smile, pressing her knuckles gently to his lips as if they were at a social function rather than two enemies meeting on a battlefield.“Well met, Rey of Alderaan,” he replied as he straightened again, his voice high and sharp and the opposite of Kylo Ren’s baritone.

Rey had no patience for this.These men were in the process of slaughtering her people, and she was not going to stand here and exchange pleasantries with them as if they were friends.“Your Majesty, I would appreciate if you would tell me why you have brought me here.I have a battle to return to, if you don’t mind.”

The way the Emperor laughed, his smile not meeting his eyes, and the way Kylo Ren echoed his laugh with a deep chuckle made her stomach turn with dread.

Then the Emperor returned his gaze to her, his expression dangerous. “Ren,” he said quietly, “would you care to show our guest how her battle is progressing?”

Kylo Ren moved to the table, where he summoned an orb of light the size of two of his fists. Rey couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her - she had heard that Kylo Ren was a powerful wizard, but she had never seen anyone summon something out of midair before. Her wonder only grew as she approached and saw scenes from the battle reflected in it, as if it were the surface of a pool of water.

When Rey processed what she was seeing, she was barely able to choke back a sob. Her people - those she was responsible for - were being soundly defeated. Across the battlefield, her friends were being rounded up and herded into groups surrounded by armed Imperial guards. At the moment, she didn’t stop to question why they were being taken prisoner instead of immediately slaughtered.

“You’ve lost, Rey.” This time, Kylo Ren’s soft, low voice was infuriating, made her want to throw something at him to relieve some of the anguish that was pumping through her veins.

The Emperor stepped forward and placed two fingers under Rey’s chin, tilting her head up to meet his eyes. She flinched at his touch, but he didn’t let go.

“Rey, I’ve brought you here to offer you a choice.” She shuddered at the sound of his voice as it cut through the silence of the tent. "As I’m sure you’re well aware, the Empire is not merciful toward those we defeat, so I trust you’ll understand this is something extremely…out of the ordinary.”

What kind of sick game were these men playing with her? She jerked her chin away from the Emperor’s hand in defiance. He didn’t move to touch her again, but he never dropped his gaze from hers.

He continued, “I have reason to believe we might both be of..use to one another, Rey. I would assume that you would prefer your friends to remain alive, and I am in need of an Empress.”

He had to be joking. These men were both insane. That was the only possible explanation.  “Absolutely not.”

The Emperor sighed, as if he regretted the choice she had made. “Very well, then. Ren…?”

Kylo Ren summoned a ball of light the size of his thumb into his hand and whispered something into it. Suddenly, in the vision on the table, she could see Finn, Poe, and Rose, all bound and kneeling in a line. Soldiers were slowly raising swords above their heads. This was wrong, this was wrong, but she couldn’t let them do this…

“Stop!” she finally burst out, and, as if he’d been waiting for her cue, Kylo Ren whispered something else into his hand and the swords dropped, leaving her people unharmed - at least for the moment.

Rey returned her gaze to the Emperor’s, feeling the fight seep out of her as she realized what she would now be forced to do. But she wouldn’t agree to this without some explanation. “Why me?” she asked quietly, trying to infuse her voice with all of the strength she still possessed.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow, then turned to his knight. “Ren, leave us.”

The masked knight strode silently out of the tent, leaving them alone.

The redheaded Emperor pulled out a chair and gestured for her to sit. Although Rey wanted nothing to do with this cruel man’s hospitality, she felt her legs wobble and accepted the offer. He took the chair facing hers, close enough to touch.

When she felt steady again, she looked back up at him. “Why do you want me? I’m sure there are hundreds of ladies in Coruscant willing to become your Empress without the need for a military campaign.”

One corner of the Emperor’s mouth quirked up, as if he were amused. “I want my children to be warriors, not pampered palace brats.”

At the mention of children, Rey recoiled from the man before her, her mind immediately moving to what would be required of her in order to give him children.

He chuckled softly, and Rey quickly decided the sound was more menacing than friendly. He took her hand in both of his, and she forced herself not to shove him away. “I can be patient, Rey. I will expect heirs eventually, but I’m secure enough in my throne to wait until you’re ready.”

Rey was tempted to respond that she would never be ready to have his slimy paws touching her - never mind that the hands touching hers actually felt rather firm and warm, even through his gloves. But she recognized that he thought he was being kind, and given that the fate of her people was still in his hands, she decided it would be prudent to accept the gesture as such. Besides, it was always possible she might find a way out of this mess before she would be forced to consummate an imperial marriage.

So she swallowed her pride and disgust and rage at this situation she had ended up in and did the only thing she could. “Alright,” she said softly, “If this is the only way to save my people, then I’ll do it.”

The Emperor’s mouth twitched again, and suddenly he had sunk to his knee before her, still grasping her hand in his own. “Then Rey of Alderaan, will you consent to join me and be my Empress? Will you rule faithfully by my side?”

A shiver ran down Rey’s spine as she let out a soft, “Alright, yes,” and he pressed another kiss to her knuckle. His eyes met hers as he did, and it felt as though they were boring straight into her. She sucked in a breath, willing her hand not to shake as he held it.

After a long moment, the Emperor rose and walked over to the tent flap, and summoned Kylo Ren back inside.

“Ren, prepare an escort for the Empress-to-be back to Coruscant. Have the staff prepare for the wedding to take place as soon as possible - there’s no reason to wait. I’ll follow as soon as we’ve taken care of things here.”

Rey’s stomach dropped at his words. “What do you mean, ‘taken care of things’? What are you planning to do to my people?”

The look the Emperor leveled at her was nothing like the slightly condescending expression he had worn throughout their previous conversation.This was the look of a man who was unused to having his authority challenged, and did not like it at all.

“As I promised,” he bit out, his voice harsher than before, “they will be safe. We will keep them in custody until the wedding ceremony has taken place, and then they will be left in peace, with a garrison posted nearby to ensure their continued cooperation.”

Rey’s jaw dropped. “I agreed to give myself to you, and you’re leaving a garrison here?”

The Emperor stalked toward her, his expression now undeniably menacing, although he did not raise his voice at all. “I believe I’ve been immensely generous, Rey, in offering you this deal in exchange for your friends’ safety. Test me, and I will not guarantee that all of them make it through this intact. Are we understood?”

A shiver ran down Rey’s spine at the ruthlessness of this man she had just agreed to marry, but she nodded mutely.

The Emperor looked at her for another beat, then turned back to Kylo Ren. “Take her away, Ren, before she finds herself in trouble she can’t talk her way out of.” Then he shoved his way out of the tent, and Kylo Ren seized her elbow roughly and began herding her in the opposite direction.

***

Hux dismounted as he reached the nearest row of tents and handed his mount’s reins to a petty officer who was standing close by to receive them.Then he strode through the camp, his hands clasped firmly behind his back.The sun had almost set by this time, but the air was still oppressively hot, with not even a breath of wind stirring the sand dunes. 

Ever since they had ridden into the desert several days ago, Hux had desperately missed the sea breezes of his capital.  He would try to get this over with quickly so he could set out on the ride back to Coruscant tonight.

He had not expected the girl to fight back as much as she had, although he knew that Phasma would laugh at him for thinking she would be easy to convince simply because she was female. But the fact remained: he was disconcerted by how resistant she had been to marrying him. As much as he regarded himself as a man without mercy, bringing an unwilling girl back to Coruscant didn’t sit well with him.

Hux reached a tent with several of his guards stationed outside. This must be the tribe’s headquarters, where the chieftain and her top leadership would meet. He found himself wondering whether she slept here, too, before he pushed that distracting thought away. He ducked inside.

In the center of the tent, three tribe members were sitting, each of them tied to a tent pole, out of reach of one another. When he entered, the dark-skinned young man looked up and immediately began to struggle against his bonds, as if he were trying to lunge at Hux.

“Where’s Rey?” he growled, fighting uselessly to free himself. “You’ll pay for this, you-“

“Finn, stop!” the dark-haired woman shouted as Hux slapped a gloved hand across the man’s cheek. The man - Finn - recoiled, but his eyes still burned with hatred.

Hux approached, and lifted the man’s chin to look at him more closely. “I’ve been told you’re a deserter. I’d be quite happy to see you sent back to Coruscant in irons.”

Finn looked away, and the woman spoke again, with a quiet intensity in her voice. “Don’t punish him. He’s just concerned for our chieftain.”

Hux moved away from Finn and turned toward her, lifting an eyebrow in question. “And why should I be lenient with those my army has just soundly defeated?”

Her expression was firm, and he was impressed by how composed this small woman remained. “Because we are peaceful. We have no quarrel with you, and you can have no reason to treat us like prisoners.”

Hux couldn’t help himself from gloating a little as he chuckled softly. “Actually, we have a very good reason. Your chieftain is to become my Empress.”

Hux heard Finn struggle against his bonds again behind him. “What did you do to her?” the young man shouted.

Before Hux could turn back to him, the final member of the trio of prisoners spoke up for the first time, his voice resigned. “It’s not worth it, Finn. Your Majesty, may I speak with you alone?”

Why not? Hux motioned for his guards to untie the other two prisoners and lead them out of the tent as he moved closer to this man, whose eyes seemed at once to hold both recklessness and crafty intelligence.

“You must be Captain Dameron,” Hux remarked, trying to decide whether to deal with this man as an inferior or an equal. “Well?”

“Your Majesty,” Poe began, “losing our chieftain is a major blow to us. But more devastating than that is the loss of our freedom to your garrison.” Poe sucked in a breath, and Hux could tell this was difficult for him. “You have your bride now - why expend resources to keep us as prisoners?”

This man certainly was clever.Perhaps Hux could deal with him on a level.“Captain,” he drawled, “your people have no resources or strategic positions to tempt us.I have no interest in keeping my garrison here for any longer than necessary to secure Rey’s continuing commitment to our deal.”Hux fixed the man with a meaningful stare.“However, if I am given reason to expect trouble, either from her or from your tribe, then be assured that my response will be swift and unpleasant.”

Poe nodded.“One more thing,” he murmured, looking up at Hux with eyes that suddenly revealed emotions that Hux had not been expecting.“Be good to her.”

Hux narrowed his eyes in an expression of distaste.“That is too familiar, Captain.”Hux walked out of the tent as the guards returned the prisoners to where they had been tied up before.Then he walked outside the main circle of tents so he could catch his breath out of sight of any onlookers, either Imperial or Alderaanian.

He couldn’t deny that Rey had impressed him with her courage and willingness to fight. But she was also just a pawn in the game he was playing. Hux hadn’t allowed himself to get emotionally attached to anyone in over two decades, and he had no intention of starting with this little desert chieftain.

***

They had left immediately after Kylo had been able to assemble his knights and find Rey a fresh mount, and it was well past nightfall before they stopped to rest. It would take another several days to reach the capital, since Kylo intended to take them on a slightly circuitous route that would allow Hux to arrive first, and would avoid crossing paths with the army as they made their way back to Coruscant. Kylo had little interest in the political maneuvering that was Hux’s forte, but even he knew that avoiding any reminder of her painful defeat at their hands would go a long way toward helping them eventually win her trust.

The Knights of Ren were much smaller than they had been two years ago, Kylo recalled with regret.There were barely enough of them to put up a proper watch, and Kylo didn’t trust any of them enough to sleep soundly while they were on guard.But he preferred having them here to trying to handle the task of protecting the Emperor’s bride all on his own, even if she might well be able to protect herself without help. 

As he settled in for the night, a little outside their campfire, Kylo looked to see two of his knights took up posts for the first watch.  Then he felt a tug on his heart as he moved his attention to Rey, who had already snuggled down into the bedroll she had been issued, with only a small part of her face visible.  

Although he knew that this plan was their best chance at survival, he hadn’t liked it when the Emperor had first suggested it, and he liked it even less now, seeing the young woman they were in the process of abducting.She belonged here, in the desert, not in the Imperial palace, surrounded by sycophants and scheming courtiers.

And she was young, too. Younger than he had expected a chieftain to be. The air of authority she carried with her made her seem older than she was, but now that she was sleeping and vulnerable, her youth became painfully obvious.

Kylo looked away again. He had told Hux that he would support him, and he intended to honor that promise, whatever his personal misgivings.

He looked out across the flat expanse of sand stretching out in the darkness before him. This was nothing like the green hills he had grown up in, and yet something about the desert felt like home to him.

Stealing one more glance back at Rey, to make sure she was fully asleep, Kylo took off his helmet, shaking out his hair and letting the desert air envelop him. He didn’t know why he was so unwilling to let her see his face yet - shame, perhaps, at the way they had treated her up to this point - but he had no desire to reveal himself to her until they had arrived back at the palace and hiding was no longer an option.

Shoving those thoughts of shame and self-loathing away, Kylo rested his head on his knees and shut his eyes, relying on his magical senses to warn him of danger as he slipped into a meditative trance.

***

The mount they had given her was a good one, accustomed to long treks on rough terrain, and Rey was used to extended rides. But even she was exhausted and sore when, almost a week later, they crested the hill that looked down on Coruscant, the Imperial capital. Kylo Ren had ridden silently beside her the entire time, and the six knights who had ridden with them had been equally stony. None of them had removed their helmets, and so she was left with the impression that she was riding with faceless ghouls.

She had to admit, though, that the city that stretched out below her was a marvel. She had never seen a settlement larger than Niima Outpost, where her people traded with other desert tribes, so looking down on the city, with its giant, impenetrable walls and countless white towers and red clay roofs, took her breath away.

But then, in the distance, on the opposite hill, she could see spires that must belong to the Imperial palace, and she felt her heart sink again. Those towers marked the place that would be her prison for the foreseeable future.

Kylo Ren paused his mount beside hers for a moment, his helmet tilted as if he were watching her, before kicking his horse to signal that it was time to continue. She followed, reluctant to leave the overlook and head toward her new sham of an existence, separated from everyone and everything she knew and loved.


	3. Chapter 3

The palace walls were not especially high, but they surrounded the complex for as far as Rey could see in either direction, all the way down to the harbor, which was now barely visible in the distance. Although they were presumably designed to keep dangers out of the palace, the walls only served to further remind Rey of her captivity.

When they had ridden through one of the large gates, a groom immediately took Rey’s horse, and she was hustled into an interior courtyard. It felt unnatural to leave her horse uncared for, but this must be how these obscenely wealthy people did things.

Apparently Kylo Ren had felt some sort of shame at throwing her around like a sack earlier, since now he paused under the archway to offer her his arm in a surprisingly courtly gesture instead of roughly grabbing her elbow.

Although she was tempted to shove his arm away, there was no good reason not to accept it, so she let him lead her under arcades and through courtyards brimming with flowers and fruit tress, each one more stunning than the last. Despite herself, Rey found herself gaping at every new plant they encountered, all of them so much more lush than anything that eked out an existence in the desert. Finally, she couldn’t help herself - she reached out an touched an especially large, green leaf, running her hand down it in near ecstasy.

Kylo Ren paused beside her, turning his helmet as if he were looking at her curiously. “You’re standing in a palace full of unimaginable wealth, all of it soon to be yours, and you’re impressed by the plants?”

Not even Kylo Ren’s presence could spoil this for her. She smiled at him, still running the leaf across her fingers. “We don’t have anything like this where I come from. Very little grows in the desert. And anyways, what use is wealth to me?” The thought made her look away sadly. “Now I’m nothing but a sparrow in a pretty cage.”

Kylo Ren reached up to touch her cheek as he had on the battlefield, and although Rey was surprised by his boldness with his commander’s soon-to-be bride, she allowed him to. His voice was low and sincere when he spoke. “You’ll never be nothing, Rey.”

Then, before she could respond, he turned to lead her down the arcade and through a screen door. The room they entered was decorated from floor to ceiling with brightly colored tiles, and the light that streamed in through the windows in the opposite wall made them gleam. Every surface was covered in more wealth than Rey had seen in her entire life, up to this point. It was enough to make her sick.

Rey’s thoughts were interrupted when a tall woman with cropped blond hair rose from where she had been sitting on the low couches along the window and approached them. “Kylo Ren,” the woman said, her voice low and matter-of-fact. “I see you’ve returned. The Emperor was beginning to wonder exactly how long your detour would take.” She raised an eyebrow when she looked over at Rey, then smiled slightly.

“This is Lady Phasma,” Kylo growled from behind Rey.

The woman laughed and cut him off. “Calling me a lady makes me sound like some delicate flower. Just call me Phasma.” Rey smiled - she liked this woman already.

Kylo continued, “She’ll be helping you prepare for the ceremony tonight.” Then he addressed Phasma. “Is there anything you need?”

Phasma shook her head and shooed Kylo out of the room. Then she gestured for Rey to sit on one of the couches, and placed a tray on the table in front of her. “You must be hungry. Let’s get you fed, and then we’ll get some of that sand cleaned off of you.”

Although Rey was still resentful of this luxurious place, the sight of the food on the tray was too much for her to resist. Fruits, small pies, and cheese tasted even better than they looked, and she found herself moaning in delight as she ate. When she recognized the ridiculous spectacle she was making, she looked over at Phasma, who simply smiled at her. Well, if Phasma didn’t care about manners, then she didn’t either. She returned to her plate with enthusiasm.

When she had finished eating, Phasma led Rey through an arched doorway into an adjoining room.

Rey couldn’t help it - her mouth actually fell open. This room, decorated with tiles in more colors than Rey knew existed in the world, was steaming hot and filled with water. Rey didn’t think she had ever seen this much water in her life, even including the large oases on the other side of the Wasteland.

Phasma laughed. “Don’t look so impressed, desert girl. Take off your clothes and let’s get you scrubbed down. Wouldn’t want to get the Emperor sandy on your big day.”

Although Rey found herself thinking that perhaps she wanted precisely that, she followed Phasma’s instructions, wading into the warm bath and lying back until everything was submerged except her eyes and nose.

After a moment, Rey felt hands massaging some kind of oil into her scalp. Oh, that felt nice. She sighed, relaxing deeper into the water.

When she finally opened her eyes again and saw, not Phasma’s pale face staring down at her, but an unfamiliar brown one, she shrieked and raised her head from the water in time to hear Phasma laugh again.

The woman who was looking down at her was smiling, too, and although her dark hair was pulled back severely from her face, her expression was soft.

“Rey, this is Lady Irene.” She pointed at her own cropped hair. “I can’t do anything with hair, so I asked her to help us out with yours.”

“I like your hair that way,” Lady Irene quipped as she winked at Phasma. Rey looked at the two women for a moment, puzzled, before she shrugged and relaxed back into the water. She would enjoy whatever small pleasures her captors would afford her before she was forced into an unwanted marriage with a sadistic murderer. The thought made her shudder even as she leaned into the feeling of Irene massaging her scalp.

***

After Irene and Phasma had scrubbed every inch of her, draped her in a large, fluffy towel, led her out of the bath, and seated her in front of a large mirror to comb her long hair out, Rey heard footsteps entering the room from behind her.

In the mirror, she saw a tall, powerful man come into view, his dark hair flowing in gentle waves down to his shoulders and his dark eyes meeting hers in the reflection. His fine black tunic and robe were perfectly fitted and only seemed to add to his air of authority. She felt her heartbeat speed up and warmth rise to her cheeks. Who was this oddly attractive stranger who had barged into her room when she was wearing nothing but a towel?

“The Emperor asked me to come and inquire whether you needed anything more for your preparations.” She sucked in a breath at the sound of his voice. This was Kylo Ren, without his helmet on. Why did he have to be so handsome? Why couldn’t he have been frog-faced?

Before Rey could respond, Phasma jumped in. “Irene’s just finishing her hair now, and we’ll see whether the gown fits in a moment.”

Rey tried to suppress the panic that had suddenly risen in her chest at the idea of wearing a dress. When a chieftain chose to marry, she wore fine leggings and a tunic. Wearing a gown would be just one more way in which she was being violently torn from her people and grafted onto this alien culture. While one part of her recognized the wisdom of not arguing on this one, relatively small issue, the idea of revealing herself to these city-dwellers looking like a weak, pampered princess was so revolting to her, she couldn’t just let it go.

So she turned to meet Kylo’s gaze in the mirror. “I don’t wear dresses. That gown is designed for a socialite, not a chieftain.”

Kylo Ren leveled a dangerous glare at her, and she suppressed a shiver. “The Emperor, who in a few hours’ time will be your lord, has asked you to wear this dress. You will wear it.”

She was not going to give this one up without a fight. “No man is my lord, and I will not wear this dress.”

Without taking his eyes off Rey, Kylo said softly to Phasma, “Would you give me a moment alone with the Empress-to-be?”

Phasma and Irene retreated silently, and Kylo approached her slowly. He rested his hands on the back of the chair she sat on, making him tower over her when she looked at the two of them in the mirror. She could feel his warmth even though he carefully avoided touching her. Rey sucked in a breath, waiting for him to speak.

When he did, his voice was low and dangerous. “The Emperor is not known for his patience with those who question him. When you become his Empress, you will be expected to obey him.” He moved closer to her, so he was speaking almost directly into her ear. “And above all, if you want your friends to remain safe, do not undermine his authority in front of others.”

Although Rey’s hackles had risen at the idea she would obey any man, a chill had run down her spine at Kylo’s final words. She nodded stiffly.

“The Emperor does not care what you wear in your spare time, but when you are attending public functions as his Empress, you will wear whatever the Emperor commands. And tonight this gown is what you will wear to the wedding ceremony.”

Rey struggled to maintain an even, haughty tone. She would not allow this man to think he had rattled her. “Thank you for the advice. Is that all?”

Kylo nodded, then turned to leave. Phasma and Irene returned almost immediately, and for a while they sat in silence, Irene carefully braiding Rey’s hair into an elaborate style that was very different from the braided crown Leia had taught her, while Phasma studied her intently.

Finally, after Phasma had lifted the offending gown over Rey’s head and begun to fasten it down her back, she spoke. “It was strange to me, too, when I first arrived here.”

Rey looked at Phasma sharply. This woman was also a foreigner?

Responding to Rey’s unspoken question, she continued, “Like you, I grew up among a people who valued women as warriors, not as jewels. But I have found over the years I have spent in Coruscant that dressing up like them does not make you one of them.”

Irene was studying them intently from one of the couches, where she had landed after she finished Rey’s hair. “And I’ll say,” she added, “that I have worn dresses all my life and they have never made me weak.”

Phasma smiled warmly at Irene before turning back to Rey, smoothing her palm down her shoulder. “And nothing Ren or Hux does is going to make you into someone you don’t want to be.”

“Hux?” Rey asked, perplexed.

Phasma laughed out loud. “You’re marrying the man and you don’t know his name? Goddess, he’s an idiot. Armitage Hux, but he hates his first name, so you should call him Hux.”

It felt suddenly strange to be admitted into this small circle of people who were close enough to the Emperor to call him something other than “Your Majesty.”

And somehow knowing his name made the man she was marrying less of a phantom, an idea, and more flesh and blood. The idea made her stomach turn. Although he had promised he wouldn’t rush her, wouldn’t he expect something from her on their wedding night? He wasn’t unattractive, certainly, but the idea of this man touching her frightened her for some reason she didn’t understand.

Phasma seemed to sense this, and squeezed Rey’s shoulder soothingly. “He’s not a bad man, Rey. Neither of them are. They can be complete idiots sometimes - and right now is no exception - but they won’t harm you. In any way you might be thinking.”

Rey inhaled heavily, and nodded. Phasma’s reassurance didn’t dispel her fears, but at least it was nice to have an ally here in this foreign place.

“But Rey,” Phasma continued, “if he makes you unhappy in any way, promise you’ll come to me?” Her voice was serious, and Rey nodded, but she couldn’t help but feel doubtful - what could Phasma possibly do against the Emperor’s immense power?

Irene watched as Phasma arranged Rey’s accessories, sometimes providing suggestions if she thought something didn’t quite work. Hux had apparently spared no expense in her ensemble for today. The strands of jewels and pearls and gold Phasma was adorning her with seemed endless. And when she finally fastened the long, heavy cloak around her neck, Rey’s attire felt as heavy as a pack she would carry for a days-long trip through the desert.

She had to admit that the dress was beautiful. It was soft white, with fine embroidery, and the cloak was accented with reds and blacks in excellent taste. But wearing it, she still felt like someone else. Someone she had never wanted to become.

When she finished, Phasma stepped back to admire her work. Irene rose from the couch to join her, and murmured, with a soft smile, “You look beautiful, Rey.” Then, the tall woman kissed her gently on the forehead and the petite woman clasped her hand, and the two of them retreated, leaving Rey alone to wait to be escorted to the wedding she wished wasn’t taking place.

***

Rey’s heart beat wildly in her chest as she stood with her arm in Kylo’s in an antechamber outside a set of tall wooden doors. She had never been this nervous before a battle, and she mentally admonished herself for acting like a child.

Her silent companion seemed to sense her fear, and he put his gloved hand over hers, allowing her to feel some of his warmth even through the leather. It felt odd to draw comfort from this man with whom she had been engaged in mortal combat only days ago, but she let herself accept it without questioning it.

The doors opened in front of them, and Kylo led her into a hall that took her breath away. The domed ceiling soared hundreds of feet above her head, adorned with gold plate and peeling images that made this place feel like an echo of the grandeur of generations before. People in elaborate and expensive robes were packed onto the floor and into the ground-level arcades, while it appeared that people from the lower classes had been permitted to watch from the upper-level balconies.

At the very front of the space was a large painting of the Mother Goddess holding her child. While other parts of this hall had been neglected over the years, this painting was vibrant. Apparently, despite their rather patriarchal behavior, the Empire still adhered to the cult of the Mother Goddess, just as the desert tribes did.

Before the altar, directly below the painting of the Mother Goddess, Hux waited for her. He wore a tunic and cloak that matched the soft white and red and black accents in her clothing, and his red hair stood out like a beacon across the room. Calling out to her to tie herself to him for the rest of their lives.

She was marrying him. When the ceremony was over, she would be his wife. She drew closer to Kylo and shivered slightly as he slowly led her down the aisle to the man who was very soon to become her husband. As they walked, she reluctantly released the dreams she had held so long, of courting and marrying for love. This would be her life now - married to the man who had cruelly subjugated her people.

When they reached the front of the room, she let go of Kylo’s arm and Hux took her hand, kissing her knuckles softly. His eyes were surprisingly tender, as if he actually wanted her to be happy about this. She stood up straighter and turned to face the altar, refusing to meet his eyes. She didn’t need his pity, and she would not allow him to think she was cooperating in this any more than was absolutely necessary.

Hux stood beside her for a moment longer, still waiting for her to meet his gaze, before he relented and turned to lead Rey to the altar without looking at her.

Once they reached the front of the temple, Hux knelt on a finely embroidered pillow, and Rey followed suit, dropping to the one facing his. An old man in a fine white and gold robe stood before them, and as soon as they had bowed their heads, he began to intone in an archaic dialect from a book that was covered in gilt and miniature illustrations. Rey had only seen a real book once before, for sale for thousands of credits at Niima Outpost, and she was once again struck by the casual opulence of her new home.

Rey paid little attention to the ceremony, since she could barely understand the words, and besides, every word they were saying was a lie. This would be a marriage based on violence and force, not love and respect.

At some point, Hux took her hands in his. Did he feel how sweaty her palms were? How they trembled slightly? Then the priest was speaking in words Rey could understand, and Hux was repeating after him, his hands firmly grasping hers. His vows. Rey swallowed, suddenly feeling a lump in her throat. She had always assumed that, when she married, her spouse would really mean the vows they made to her.

But then she looked into Hux’s eyes, and felt a small jolt at the sincerity she saw there.

“I vow to care for you, Rey,” he was saying, “and protect you, for all the days of our lives.” He ran his thumb over the fingers of her right hand as he spoke, an oddly comforting gesture.

Then it was her turn. She tried to keep her voice steady as she promised things she had never intended to promise the Emperor of a cruel regime: care, protection, faithfulness. She was grateful obedience wasn’t mentioned in her vows, although it was probably implied.

When she finished, Hux stood. He took a fine gold diadem from a pillow held by one of her attendants and placed it on her forehead. She was now his Empress. But instead of the thrill of power washing over her, she only felt more trapped.

As she rose to stand beside him, Hux took her hands again, the fire in his eyes blazing even more intensely than before. Would he truly demand nothing of her tonight?

The priest declared them man and wife, and Hux looked at Rey for a long moment before moving toward her, her hands still in his, and touching his lips to hers. His touch was gentle yet firm, and it left her a little breathless when he pulled away a second later.

Then, before she could regain her wits, he guided her hand to his arm and led her out of the hall. As the door closed behind them, Hux brought her to a litter that was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs and settled her inside before getting in himself and gesturing for the bearers to proceed.

It seemed the height of ridiculousness to be carried to a destination that was within easy walking distance, but she had been warned about questioning the Emperor earlier, so now she simply studied this man she had known for a grand total of five minutes before she married him. His features were sharp and angular, almost as much as Kylo’s, but his short red hair gave him an almost boyish look when she studied him from the side.

He caught her staring at him and smiled affectionately, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckles. His tenderness toward her now, so at odds with the way they had met, was perplexing, and Rey felt her heartbeat speed up at his touch.

“I know this was rushed, but we’ll get to know each other better now that we’re married.”

Rey shuddered at the word “married,” but she had no time to reply because the litter bearers had brought them to a halt in front of a door that Rey recognized as the one directly beside her own. When they entered, Rey found herself gaping again at a large sitting room, two-storied with columns separating an alcove from the main part of the room and upper-story windows letting in the last light of the evening as a fire burning in a brazier in the center of the room filled it with heat.

Hux led Rey to one of the couches that lined the walls and took the seat beside her, close but not touching her. He held his body stiffly, and she was starting to wonder if that was his default. She leaned back and sunk down against the plush couch, feeling suddenly drained now that the adrenaline rush from the ceremony had dissipated.

After a long moment, she spoke, keeping her eyes focused on the floor in front of her. “So, that’s it, then?”

His voice was high and clipped when he spoke, as if losing the physical proximity they had in the litter had also robbed his voice of its tender tone. “That’s it,” he replied. “There’s usually a banquet after a wedding, but I decided to postpone it until later in the week. The members of our court never complain about an additional opportunity to show off their fancy clothes.”

He dropped the word “our” so casually. It made sense - they were man and wife now, after all. And although she was still shocked and angry at him, she appreciated his small, kind gesture of postponing her first court event until she had time to adjust to life here.

Hux continued, “This sitting room is attached to your room on that side, and mine on the other. You’re welcome to use it whenever you like. In fact, you’re welcome to go wherever you like on the palace grounds, as long as you don’t cause too much trouble. It’s all yours, after all.”

She nodded silently, still staring at the floor, her mind spinning at the idea of so much opulence and wealth now at her fingertips. It was dizzying. So she seized on the closest thing to mind. “This room is very large for just two people.”

Hux laughed, his tone relaxing a little. “Well, sometimes Kylo Ren and Phasma come in here, too.” The idea that Phasma might be a part of her life at the palace made Rey feel a little better. “This was all built about a hundred years ago, by my great-great-grandfather, as the palace harem.”

A shiver ran down Rey’s back as she imagined Hux’s ancestor, a man powerful and wealthy enough to have dozens of wives. She lifted her head to examine his face more closely.

“The rooms here are much more comfortable than the ones my father used to use, so I’ve moved over here, but as you said, it’s more space than we need. At least right now."

The implication in his words made her breath catch, and she looked at him sharply. Was he saying he wouldn’t honor his promise after all? It made little difference, wouldn’t have changed her decision, and she had no reason to expect someone like him to treat her as anything other than property. Still, something about the idea of his betrayal stung.

He seemed to catch her train of thought, because he moved a little closer to her on the couch and took both of her hands in his. His gaze intense as he affirmed “Rey, I promised I wouldn’t rush you and I fully intend to honor that promise. When you’re ready, you’ll come to me.”

She nodded, and they sat there in silence for a while longer. She wondered whether she would get along with this stranger who was now her husband, whether she would eventually grow to like him. She could imagine it as they sat here, if she forgot the way he had treated her and her people.

Finally, when Rey’s jaw cracked in a wide yawn, Hux stood, offering his hand to her. When she took it and rose to join him, he cradled her face in his other hand and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “Good night, my dear,” he whispered, before directing her toward the door that led to her room.

For a long time that night, Rey couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning as she thought about the man who waited for her just a room away.

***

Hux stood there in the sitting room for a long time like an idiot, unable to get the image of her sleepy eyes out of his head. She was just a means to an end, he kept reminding herself, but her face still haunted him.

When he finally returned to his bedroom, Kylo immediately stepped out of the shadows and approached him. Kylo had known exactly what would happen and had been waiting for Hux to return. Hux sighed at the way his First Knight always seemed to be able to read his mind.

When their bodies met, Kylo pushed Hux up against the wall and caged him with his large arms. Although the larger man didn’t kiss or touch him, Hux still felt his breath coming quicker at his knight’s proximity.

Kylo was smirking slightly. “Well, that went about as well as could be expected.”

Hux leaned his head back against the wall breathed deeply, catching the familiar scent of sweat - both man and horse - and fresh grass and blood that always lingered hours even after Kylo had bathed. Whatever clothes he put on, Ren was a man of the battlefield, not the banquet hall.

“I think she might be warming up to me,” Hux murmured, his eyes still closed.

Kylo chuckled. “Well, that wouldn’t be difficult, given the first impression you made.”

They were silent for a long moment, and Hux allowed his thoughts to return to the way Rey had looked at him today - fear and rage warring with each other, certainly, but possibly something else? The way she had looked at him as he said his vows, and then again in the sitting room - as if she was surprised to find he was human, after all - made him wonder whether, perhaps, she might someday grow to feel something other than hatred for him.

“You want her,” Kylo growled, and Hux again cursed the fact that Kylo could read so much in his eyes and his body.

Hux shrugged, refusing to meet Kylo’s eyes, which he knew would be staring intently down at him. “What I want is irrelevant. Her cooperation is integral to keeping the Empire secure. And at some point, when she is ready, she will bear the future Emperor. Nothing more.”

Kylo dropped one of his hands to Hux’s chin and lifted it, forcing Hux to meet his eyes. “And again you refuse to acknowledge your feelings. I often find that tendency of yours frustrating.”

Hux looked at Kylo, infusing as much disdain into his expression as he could. “That’s because, unlike you, I refuse to let frivolous emotions get in the way of my goals.”

Kylo barked out a laugh. “Of course. Goddess forbid our valiant Emperor allow something as base as a feeling into his hard heart.” He bent to plant a soft kiss on Hux’s lips and Hux moaned softly. “At some point,” Kylo continued after he had pulled away, “you will need to acknowledge that you are not made of stone.”

“I am the Emperor, Ren,” Hux responded forcefully, meeting the taller man’s eyes with his own. “I am made of steel.”

“We’ll see,” Kylo chuckled, as he ghosted the backs of his fingers across Hux’s cheeks before leaving the room.

Hux knew that Kylo would wait for him in his own chambers, and he knew that, eventually, he would go to find him there. The thought was inviting, but also made him feel uneasy.

Now there were more than just two of them. He had a wife sleeping peacefully in the next room, and somehow, being with Kylo felt uncomfortably like betraying the vows he had said - and honestly meant - this afternoon.

But she had also made it clear that she wasn’t interested in him, and quite possibly wouldn’t be for a long time. He pushed away the image of how sweet and open her expression had been when he had kissed her goodnight, and the feeling of her lips on his during the ceremony. If she saw this as nothing but a sham marriage, then it was only natural that he should seek his satisfaction elsewhere.


	4. Chapter 4

When Rey woke up the next morning among obscenely soft sheets, she felt the strong desire to return to her morning routine, to restore some sense of normalcy to a life that was quickly spiraling beyond her control. Even if she had been reduced to being a gem in the Emperor’s diadem, she refused to accept the lifestyle that went with it without a fight.

After savoring another tray of rich foods that some invisible sprite had placed in her room for her breakfast, Rey set about finding clothing. She was pleased to discover that one of the trunks in her room contained sensible leggings, shirts, tunics, and soft leather boots. Perhaps Hux really would limit his insistence on dressing her up to formal occasions.

Donning a pair of soft red leggings and a white shirt with minimal red embroidery, she padded outside to search for an empty courtyard she could train in.

Rey was surprised that as she walked she met no one. Either the palace was understaffed with guards and servants, or they had all been instructed to leave her alone. Whatever the reason, she found herself grateful for the solitude, which allowed her to imagine she was back home and heading out into the desert for her morning exercises.

Eventually, her wandering led her to a terrace overlooking the harbor. The salt breeze that hit her and the paving stones that cooled her bare feet were so different from the hot sand of the desert, and yet she found herself deeply enjoying their feel on her skin.

She didn’t know where to find a sword or a staff, or even whether she would be allowed to practice with weapons, so she launched into her barehanded combat routines, throwing punches and kicks at invisible opponents around her.

Rey became so entranced in her movements that she nearly tripped when a low voice behind her asked, “Would you like a sparring partner?”

She should have guessed. At some point, Kylo Ren had arrived on the terrace. She scowled at him. “Since when do you care about someone else’s training?”

His gaze never left hers. “I heard you get up and followed you. You’re still new here, so I was concerned you might get lost. And now that I’m here, I thought I’d offer.”

She meant to consider his offer, but instead she found herself distracted by his black sleeveless shirt and pants as tight as her own, and the tiny beads of sweat visible on his biceps. She knew he could lift her without any apparent effort - what else could he do with those muscles?

Oh no. Oh no no no. Rey berated herself for forgetting where she was. The last thing she needed was to find herself attracted to Kylo Ren, of all people.

Then she realized that she hadn’t responded, and he was staring at her with curiosity. Shoving those other thoughts out of her mind, Rey decided that the opportunity to beat him in a fair fight was too good to pass up. She nodded and moved into an opening stance. “No magic tricks this time.”

“Agreed,” he replied, a slight smile on his face as he moved into a stance to mirror hers.

Fighting Kylo was very different from when she trained with Finn or Poe, who were both only a couple of inches taller than her. This knight was massive, at least a head taller than her and very broad. She found herself searching for ways to use his height and weight against him, to knock him off balance. But he was just as good at hand-to-hand combat as he was with his massive broadsword, which made finding an opening difficult.

Finally, she saw an opportunity and took it, shoving her weight behind his knees to force him to the ground. She immediately pinned his wrists with her hands and shoved one leg to either side of his torso, a big grin splitting her face.

“So it seems I can beat you in a fair fight,” she declared, looking for a sign of surrender in his face. He smiled back up at her, and her heart fluttered at the thought of how handsome he looked when he smiled.

Then, suddenly, it hit her that she, a newly married woman, was sitting on top of a man who was definitely not her husband. She jumped away from Kylo, searching desperately for some distraction that would give her time to regain her composure.

“Do you know where I can find a staff or a sword to train with? There’s only so much I can do bare-handed.”

Kylo slowly raised himself from the ground, dusting off his clothing and studying her with a curious expression. Then he replied, “There are some you can use in the armory. I’ll show you where to find them, if you’d like.”

Rey nodded, then followed, careful not to touch this man who was quickly turning out to be too enticing for her own good.

Kylo pointed out the weapons in the armory that she could use, then turned, presumably to take care of whatever duties he had. When Rey had examined the weapons and decided which ones she would use for her training tomorrow morning, she noticed that the armory opened onto a courtyard she hadn’t visited yesterday, and set off to explore.

***

Hux found her in the map room. There was something enchanting about finding this woman in his favorite room in the palace, running her fingers over the lands that had belonged to his ancestors, touching the gems that symbolized the Empire’s past wealth.

“That was what the Empire looked like six generations ago, when my ancestor, Brendol the Wise, ruled,” he said softly, trying not to startle her. Rey didn’t turn to look at him as he approached.

He wondered if Rey had ever seen a map of the continent she lived on. The desert tribes had their own systems of navigation and record-keeping, he knew, but paper and ink were expensive. The thought that he might be the first person to show her even this small thing filled him with pride.

He ran his fingers over the azure stones, and he saw her look at them closely, then look out onto the balcony, where Coruscant’s harbor was visible below. Then he moved his hand to the inlaid gold that represented the desert sands, and murmured, “Your home.”

She looked at his hand longingly for a moment, then looked away. “Not anymore,” she replied quietly.

Oh. Wrong thing to say. Eager to move her away from that line of thought, he turned back to the map and touched the emerald stones that represented the Empire’s most fertile lands. “To the south of here is Chandrila, where your breakfast was grown.”

She turned back to the map and placed her hand next to his, and he shivered. No, that was ridiculous. He felt nothing for this woman. There was no reason to feel nervous around her.

She studied the map in silence for several minutes, and he watched as she must have been connecting what she saw in the mosaic with her own knowledge. Finally, she turned to him and observed, “Many of these lands no longer belong to the Empire. What happened?”

“The Emperors that came after Brendol the Great were indolent, cared more for pleasure than they did for taking care of their people.” He ran his hand over a section of green. “They took all they could from the land, and gave nothing back to the people who worked it. Eventually, their armies grew weak, and warriors from foreign lands overtook everything except the core lands.” He pointed to a small area around the capital city that was inlaid with rubies.

“Your armies seemed rather strong when they rode onto my land.” Rey’s words were harsh, but her tone was quiet, defeated. It stung more than he cared to admit that she still saw him as conqueror, not husband.

Hux sighed and turned away. “That’s because my father was a warmonger. He spent his reign strengthening his armies with the aim of conquering the whole world.”

When he looked back over at her, he found she was staring up at him intently. “And you?” she murmured, her eyes fixed on his.

He didn’t want to tell her the truth. It was too soon, he didn’t want to frighten her away, and besides, there was always the chance they wouldn’t need her assistance. But what he did say shocked him as much as it did her. Reaching up to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear, he whispered, “Perhaps right now I’ll settle for conquering my Empress.”

***

A shiver ran down Rey’s back at Hux’s words. He had brought her here and married her against her will - she wasn’t supposed to be interested in his family history, and she certainly wasn’t supposed to find herself interested in the man himself.

She quickly moved a few paces away and changed the subject. “Where were you coming from, when you came in here?”

Hux laughed softly. “My Imperial council is meeting right now. I have to step out every once in a while to maintain my image as a useless fool and give them time to plot against me so they can think they’re in charge of what goes on here.”

She laughed at the idea of the calculating Emperor projecting an image as a fool, but if he didn’t entirely trust his advisors, it made sense. “What are they talking about?” she asked, suddenly curious.

He leaned against the wall, appearing to think deeply before he responded, “Do you want to see for yourself?”

She stared at him. “They let foreign women into their top secret meetings?”

Now Hux was smiling slightly. “They do whatever their Emperor demands.” He looked pointedly at the door. “To a certain extent. Given that it’s the day after our wedding, I doubt they’ll protest much today.”

“Alright,” she said quietly, suddenly feeling shy around him at the mention of their wedding, “Lead the way.”

Instead of offering his arm, he put his hand on her lower back and took her other hand in his in a gesture that startled her in its intimacy. She looked up at him, and he looked back at her in question, asking silently whether she was alright with putting on a display for the sake of the Council. She nodded, and relaxed into his grip, feeling him plant a soft kiss on her temple before he led her into the council chamber.

When they entered, every councilman’s eyes flickered to them. Rey cringed at the feeling of two dozen eyes fixed on her, but she reminded herself of why she was there and pasted a blank smile on her face, reaching up to kiss a startled Hux on the cheek.

When they reached one of the low couches, she sat down beside him, and he put an arm around her possessively. She leaned into it, and was forced to admit that it felt nice.

“Well, gentlemen?” Hux announced dangerously, “Carry on.”

The nobleman who leaned forward to speak must have been the boldest of the group. “Your Majesty, is it necessary for the Empress to join us this morning? The topics of discussion are sensitive, Sire.”

Rey could see Hux fix the man with a cool stare. “Yes, Hask, because I will it to be so.” His voice had now become low, and Rey was glad his ire was directed at someone other than herself this time. “Now. What dull reports must I suffer through today?”

As the councillors spoke about possible rebellions in the coastal cities, including Coruscant itself, Rey struggled to focus fully on the discussion and not on the man whose warm body was pressing firmly and pleasantly into her side.

***

Rey discovered that Hux hadn’t lied when he said that Kylo and Phasma were frequent visitors in their sitting room. That evening after dinner, which had been a modest affair, found the four of them sitting on one of the couches in the still-too-large room. Phasma and Hux were examining a report together while Rey and Kylo sat silently and watched them.

“The Council was talking about this today,” Hux was saying, his brow creased with concern. “Groups that used to be secret are now starting to meet out in the open, local leaders are concerned about challenges to Imperial rule. Corellia and Hosnia seem to be special concerns, but it looks like many of the coastal cities are possible hotbeds for rebellion.”

Rey leaned in closer to Hux and asked, “Why are they angry?”

At the beginning of the evening, Hux had sat stiffly, carefully keeping his hands away from Rey. But now, it seemed that her inquiry had granted him the permission he needed, and he put an arm around her to pull her in closer.

It was Phasma who responded, from Hux’s other side. “They believe the Empire’s sacrilege is the reason for the drought we’ve been experiencing for the last two years.”

Rey frowned. “What kind of sacrilege?”

Hux shrugged. “That’s what we’re struggling to understand. We’ve made sacrifices in temples in all the major cities, we’ve done precisely what every other Emperor has done for centuries, and yet the populace still believes we’re at fault, somehow.”

Hux returned to reading the report and Rey sat there, leaning against his shoulder, for a long moment. Finally, she spoke again. “I’d like to see for myself.”

“Hm?” It seemed that Hux had only been half listening as he read.

“I’d like to go into the city and see for myself. Mostly I’m just curious, but maybe an outsider’s opinion would be helpful.”

Hux examined her for a long moment, then nodded and turned to look over her head at Kylo. “Ren, will you take her tomorrow?”

Indignation bubbled up in Rey at the Emperor treating her like a child. She had been in charge of an army for the last two years, after all. “I don’t need an escort. I’m perfectly capable of finding my way around on my own.”

Hux kissed the top of her head indulgently. “I’m well aware, my dear, but given the discussion we were just having about insurgent groups in the cities, the idea of you walking about alone makes me uneasy. I don’t want to rely on the fact that your face is not very well known yet to keep you safe.” He pulled back so he could look directly at her. “I’d feel much better if you would allow Ren to go with you as backup. Will you do me that favor?”

And somehow, in the day they had been married, Rey had reached the point where she couldn’t say no to her husband when he looked at her so tenderly. What in the Goddess’ name was happening to her? She nodded, and his lips found hers in a chaste kiss. She resisted the urge to drag him back to her when he pulled away.

“Thank you,” he whispered, before reaching across Rey to grasp Kylo’s arm in thanks. The knight grunted in response.


	5. Chapter 5

Usually, Kylo hated Coruscant. It was too crowded, too loud, too filled with unpleasant smells from all the humans and animals packed within its walls. Most of the time, he much preferred riding through the countryside with his knights. Even if he had to admit that when Hux called him back to the palace after he had been gone too long, those summons were always pleasant.

But seeing how Rey’s eyes widened as she took in the sights and sounds of the city almost made it worth the annoyance.

They had dressed to blend in, as a merchant of middling wealth and his unremarkable wife, and Kylo hoped that the fact that he rarely emerged from the palace without his helmet, and that Rey was still new to the capital, would allow them to avoid being recognized. To his surprise, Rey hadn’t protested when he provided her with a dress to wear, perhaps realizing that the benefits of fitting in outweighed the indignity of another offending garment.

And she had taken his arm. The feeling of walking her down the aisle at the Great Temple - to her own wedding to another man, for Goddess’ sake - had been so intoxicating, he hadn’t been able to resist offering again, and she hadn’t refused him. Now they walked with her nestled against his side, and he allowed himself to imagine that she really was his wife, that they would go shopping for some trinket for her to wear, and then he would take her back to their apartment over their shop and he would…

He groaned softly. That was not the right thing to imagine. Rey looked up at him with a strange expression, and he focused on staring straight ahead. She’s Hux’s wife, he reminded himself. Hux’s wife.

Then she spoke, and he jumped slightly before recovering his steady pace. “So Phasma’s not originally from the Empire.”

Kylo gave himself a moment so he could speak with no audible tremor in his voice. At least this was a safe topic. Hux reported that he had given Rey a basic history lesson yesterday, so Kylo drew on that, carefully watching her face for signs of confusion so he could clarify anything she didn’t understand without making her feel ignorant. He didn’t know how much a desert chieftain would know about the world outside her own lands.

“She came from the south, actually,” Kylo explained. “Parnassos, one of the smaller kingdoms that rose up in place of the Empire once it started to fall apart in the farther reaches. When Hux’s father invaded their lands a decade ago, the king offered his daughter’s hand in exchange for fair treatment as a vassal state.”

He paused, and Rey prompted, “And? What happened?”

Kylo shook his head. Serving under the previous Emperor for years hadn’t given him any love for the man. “The Emperor had no interest in another wife. He sent in his army, killed the king, and put the population to work for him.”

He felt Rey shiver and draw closer to him. Perhaps she was contemplating her own experience and realizing Hux had been merciful in comparison.

He continued. “But Phasma was shrewd, and knew that the best chance for her people’s survival lay in gaining a position of power among her oppressors. So she presented herself at court, and a young nobleman fell in love with her and married her. From her position as the wife of an influential courtier, she fought for and won fair treatment for her people.”

Rey looked at him sharply. “So what happened to this young nobleman?”

Kylo couldn’t meet her eyes as he spoke. He focused his gaze on a food stall at the end of the road they were walking on. “The previous Emperor required all of his courtiers to hold a military commission. On the next campaign, Phasma’s husband was posted with a front line division, and they were ambushed. Only a few men survived the assault.”

Rey was silent for a moment, then bit out, “My father-in-law sounds like he was a really lovely man. It’s a shame I never got the chance to meet him.”

Kylo laughed. “Actually, he probably would have liked you. He liked people who weren’t afraid to stand up to him. Most of the time.”

They fell back into silence, moving through the bustling streets and avoiding carts and animals as they trundled by.

Finally, Kylo spoke again. “I don’t want to give you the wrong impression about Phasma. Things have worked out reasonably well for her, all things considered. She took her husband’s commission, and her performance in the army impressed Hux enough that he offered her a position as chief advisor when he became Emperor.”

Rey hummed for a moment, as she mulled over this new information. “So what does she actually do for Hux?”

“She leads Hux’s cavalry when they’re on campaign.” Rey’s eyes went wide, and Kylo realized that she hadn’t known that Phasma had been part of the army that had subjugated her people. It made sense, of course - Phasma usually wore a helmet on campaign, as he did, and most people assumed such a tall cavalryman would be, well, a man. But there was no use hiding the truth from her now, so he continued, “She was at the head of the division Hux and I dispatched to take out your cavalry, actually. I think she found your captain an intriguing challenge.”

He paused to gauge Rey’s reaction. She looked hurt, but not furious, so perhaps this wouldn’t hurt her relationship with Phasma too badly.

He went on, “She also handles most of the paperwork he doesn’t want the Council to know about. And she’s his eyes and ears at court functions, since I don’t exactly blend in.”

Rey laughed at that and he felt warmth creep into him at the sound.

“And she has her own pursuits as well. I don’t make a point of involving myself in her personal business, but she’s developed a reputation for providing…options for the women at court who find themselves in bad situations.”

Rey’s eyes widened. “So she was serious when she told me to tell her if Hux hurt me.”

Kylo couldn’t stop himself from chuckling. The image of Phasma going after Hux was too excellent. “Oh, I have no doubt she was. And Hux wouldn’t stand a chance against Phasma if she really went after him.”

“So she’s a fighter?” He could hear the excitement in Rey’s voice.

“She trains with a number of the court women every morning on one of the terraces down by the river. If you want, I’d be happy to show you tomorrow.”

Rey smiled, and Kylo felt a grin growing on his face in response. “I’d love that.”

Then Rey looked away and went silent for a while. When she spoke again, her voice was pitched low so passersby wouldn’t overhear. “It sounds like the number of people Hux trusts is very small.”

Kylo nodded. “It’s really just the three of us.”

She looked at him sharply. “Why does he trust me? A few days ago I was trying to kill him.”

This woman didn’t shy away from asking tough questions. Kylo sighed. “Perhaps for the same reason he trusts Phasma. You’re not part of all this court politics nonsense.” He paused. “And perhaps he hopes that, if he trusts you, eventually you’ll grow to trust him.”

She said nothing in response. They returned to moving through the crowded streets, slowly progressing toward the City Temple.

***

The City Temple was unremarkable at first glance. Its faded stone facade blended seamlessly with the aging townhouses on the block, and its warren-like interior, so different from the majestic high ceilings and awe-inspiring size of the Great Temple, did little to impress. But there was something about the age of the building, and the way the eyes of the ancient frescoes and mosaics and icons seemed to follow her through the claustrophobic, incense-filled, dimly lit chapels, that made Rey’s hair stand on end.

With the exception of her wedding, Rey had never been inside a stone temple before. All religious observances among the Alderaan were performed in the chieftain’s tent, and Rey had only participated to the extent that her position dictated she must. Finn, Rose, and Poe had all grown up around religious rituals; Rey hadn’t. But even she found herself in awe of the images of the Mother Goddess in her various aspects, each one in its own chapel.

Rey stepped into one of the side chapels, this one dedicated to the Goddess as Warrior, and she felt her heart speed up as she gazed up at the central painting of the Goddess dressed in armor, wielding a sword.

Kylo came up and stood behind her for a moment, before remarking quietly, “She looks a little like you, actually.”

She spun around to look at him, but his face was unreadable. What was he playing at? He shrugged and they continued walking.

Eventually, they made their way into the central chapel, which was dedicated to the Goddess as Mother, in her role as bringer of new life. Unlike all of the side chapels surrounding it, the central chapel had a high ceiling, although it was just as dark and incense-filled as the others. The front of the chapel was dominated by a large icon of the Goddess holding the Son, and there were lit candles surrounding it, as there had been in the other chapels.

But there was something off about this chapel. It took Rey a moment to figure it out, and when she realized, she pulled Kylo to the side of the chapel, where they were mostly out of sight of other worshippers. As they watched, a man who looked, by his dress, to be a minor merchant, approached an icon that had been set up beside the main icon. He touched the icon’s face, murmuring a prayer, before placing a lit candle before it. This icon had what looked like hundreds of burnt candle stubs in front of it.

But it wasn’t an icon of the Mother. It was an icon of the Son.

There were, of course, people who worshipped the Son in his own temples, especially when they were hoping for a successful planting, or sea voyage, or journey across the Wasteland. But worshipping an icon of the Son in the heart of a temple dedicated to the Goddess was the height of sacrilege - and a clear political statement.

There had always been people who saw the Son as superior to the Mother, and although none had joined the Alderaan, Rey would occasionally meet some when they traveled to Niima Outpost for supplies. These people also argued that women had no place leading armies, or making decisions, and they believed that women should submit to men in the same way they believed the Mother should submit to her Son.

If these people believed that the Empire was disrespecting the Son, then that could be the root of the rebellion. And although Rey had no love for the Empire, she could see the danger in worshipping the Son above the Mother - if the Son became the dominant deity, those precarious rights and freedoms that women had in this society would be at risk of vanishing.

When she looked at Kylo, it was clear that he had reached the same conclusion she had. “Let’s bring this back to the Emperor,” he murmured, and they made their way quietly out the way they had come.

***

Kylo had known the group of men was following them since they left the City Temple. Rey looked over at him several times, as if she noticed that he was worried about something, but she didn’t ask about it. He was grateful for that. It wasn’t impossible that they could make it back to the Palace District without running into trouble, and he didn’t want to worry Rey unnecessarily if they managed to avoid these thugs.

Because they were definitely thugs - the glimpses of bodies and weapons he briefly caught as he scanned their surroundings told him that. They were large, and well-armed, and fighting them wouldn’t be easy. Knowing that their best shot of escape was to stay in sight of crowds, Kylo kept them on the main streets.

“Kriff,” Kylo murmured under his breath, as Rey looked at him with concern. A cart had overturned in front of them, and the crowd of people who were trying to right it and chase down its runaway contents had blocked the road in front of them. He had trouble believing this was a coincidence.

“We’re going to take another route,” he announced, pointing at a nearby alley, “But stay close to me, and be ready for trouble if it comes our way.”

She nodded, and her grip on his arm tightened.

They had made it only a few yards into the alley when he heard them. Beside him he felt Rey stiffen as the sound of boots on paving stones filled the passage behind them. They had a few seconds to look at each other and silently establish a plan of attack, and then they turned and found themselves staring at eight burly men - none of them as tall as Kylo, but several of them easily as muscular, and all of them wielding large, nasty-looking swords.

Neither Kylo nor Rey had worn a sword, since they wanted to remain inconspicuous, but they had both hidden several knives in their clothing, which they now reached for. They moved so they would have their backs protected by the alley wall, then, without waiting for their attackers to strike first, pounced.

As Kylo summoned up a wave of magic to slow their attackers, Rey took the two knives she had just pulled out of the sheaths attached to her ankles and sent them straight into two men’s throats. Even in the heat of battle, Kylo couldn’t help but be impressed by her aim.

But Kylo knew that Rey only had two more knives on her, and the other six men were now coming closer, their swords nearly within striking range. Testing his powers to the limit, he aimed one of his knives at the closest attacker, and seized another’s neck in a magic chokehold. Although she was at his back, she somehow seemed to know which men he had targeted, and sent her last two knives flying into two men on the other side of them. It felt so natural to fight together, each of them supporting the other’s strengths and compensating for weaknesses.

But the last two men seemed to understand their best chance lay in finishing this fight quickly, so they lunged, and Kylo felt a bolt of fear run through him, knowing that his two remaining knives would be no match for these mens’ larger weapons in a fight at close range. Panicking, he sent up a magic barrier between them and the men, and handed the knives to Rey, putting his faith in her aim.

She didn’t fail him. Her last two throws struck home, and Kylo turned to look at Rey. His chest was heaving as he struggled to regain his composure and fight down the terror that had seized him when he thought that his carelessness might result in Rey’s death or serious injury. And that fear, he told himself, was only because he had pledged fealty to his Empress, and because Hux would be angry if he broke his promise to protect Rey. Not because he actually cared about Rey herself.

Rey bent to grab two of the knives from the cooling bodies of their attackers, ignoring the spatter of blood it created, and handed Kylo one after she wiped them both off with her handkerchief. Presumably the purpose of this was to allow them to have the weapons available without having to drip blood on the walk back to the palace and call attention to themselves, but Kylo almost laughed at the sight of Rey adapting table manners to street fighting.

Once they were both armed again, they set off for the palace. Their pace was probably too fast to be inconspicuous, but Kylo couldn’t really bring himself to care. He wanted to get them inside the palace walls as quickly as possible. Rey kept up admirably with Kylo’s longer strides, although he could hear her breathing hard beside him. They didn’t stop until they had made it through the main gates of the palace and both of them collapsed against a wall, panting.

After a long moment, Kylo finally spoke. “Hux is going to kill us when he hears about this.”

“When I hear about what?”

***

Kylo and Rey sat stiffly in front of Hux on one of the couches, following him with their eyes as he paced across the sitting room.

“Goddess damn it, Ren!” he finally exploded, startling them both, “You were supposed to keep her safe, not drag her into street fighting!”

Kylo stood up, and Hux could have heard the anger boiling in the larger man’s veins. “I did keep her safe, Hux. She’s sitting right there in front of you, not a scratch on her, because I did what you asked me to.”

“But you shouldn’t have even gotten her into that position!” Hux could barely think, with the image of a lifeless Rey on the cobblestones of some back alley haunting him.

But at Hux’s outburst, Rey jumped up and pushed her way in between Hux and Kylo, silencing them both with a glare. “I cannot believe how stupid both of you are being right now! How many fights do you think I’ve gotten into in my life and survived?”

She waited for an answer. They were silent, and she continued, her temper still hot, “I spent most of my life alone, surviving by scavenging and hunting beasts larger than I was with nothing more than a handmade knife between me and their claws. Then I commanded an army for two years. And now you honestly think you need to keep me out of harm’s way like some defenseless noblewoman?”

She stood perfectly still, her face contorted in anger, and Hux felt his own rage melting away. She was right - he was being overprotective, and it didn’t serve anyone. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

When Rey spoke again, her voice was lower, but it was still dangerous. “And I brought you information none of your useless advisors could give you. So stop treating me like some delicate flower, and show me the respect and trust you owe to your wife, or I swear, Hux, I will go straight back to my people, your army be damned.”

She wanted to leave. The thought suddenly filled him with panic, although he didn’t stop to examine why, and he would do whatever he needed to convince her to stay.

So he sank to his knees before her, holding her hands in his, watching surprise flutter across her features as they softened slightly. The gesture mirrored what he had done when he had asked her to become his Empress, but there was no stilted formality to it this time. Holding her hands against his lips, he murmured, “Forgive me, my Empress. I was worried for you, and I lost my temper.” He tilted his eyes up to hers, and saw in them what looked like concern. “Stay with me?” he asked.

Rey nodded slightly, and Hux rose to his feet, still holding her hands. Then, he leaned in to kiss her gently. “Alright, Hux,” she whispered as he pulled away slightly, and the sound of his name on her lips was surprisingly erotic, “but if you do something like this ever again, know that I will not hesitate to steal a horse from your stables and ride straight back home.”

He smiled and cupped her cheek in his hand affectionately. “I wouldn’t expect any less, my dear.”

Then he looked up at Kylo, whose face still showed distress. He had been afraid of losing Rey today, too, Hux realized. As Hux watched, the large knight laid a hand gingerly on Rey’s shoulder. She looked up at him, curious, but by the time she opened her mouth to respond, he had left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

True to his word, the next day Kylo brought Rey down to a lower terrace, where she found Phasma training with five other women. All of them were wearing training pants and shirts of some kind, and something about the fact that they looked nothing like the pampered court women Rey had imagined immediately made her curious about this group. Perhaps she hadn’t given the noblewomen of the Empire enough credit.

Phasma smiled when she saw Rey approach, and pulled her into a hug. Rey was surprised to find that, even after learning that Phasma had led the forces that had defeated her cavalry, she still felt completely at ease with this woman.

“Rey,” Phasma announced, as the rest of the women paused in their training and looked over, “I’ve heard you’re good with a staff. Would you care to demonstrate?”

So Rey spent a while showing the women her staff techniques, which they mastered quickly. Then, as they shifted to hand-to-hand combat, Rey found they were all proficient in methods she had never seen - presumably techniques Phasma had learned growing up in Parnassos. Her respect for Phasma grew significantly when three of the women were able to beat her in sparring matches.

After a long, hard training session, the women finally sat on the terrace railings to rest. Phasma sat down beside Rey, a little removed from the rest of the group. “Thank you for joining us today. Your skills are a huge asset to our group.”

Rey nodded. “I’m glad Kylo told me about it. But, if you don’t mind my asking, why do you do this? I thought these women’s lives were supposed to be all about looking nice and bearing children.”

Phasma threw back her head and laughed. “Many of the men at court have asked me the exact same thing. Irene was my first sparring partner.” She nodded toward where Irene was sipping water from a hip flask. “She came to me after her husband beat her so badly, she could barely walk. I tried my hardest to get her a divorce, but the court system is stacked with men concerned only with protecting their own. Hux could only interfere so much without compromising his position, and nothing I did had any effect. So I put Irene up in my townhouse, taught her a few techniques, and her bastard husband hasn’t gone near her since.”

Rey found herself openly gaping. Phasma was defying the powerful men at court to keep Irene safe?

But Phasma wasn’t done speaking yet. “Not all of the stories are so dramatic, of course.” She was now pointing to a plain woman with mousy brown hair, who was laughing with a striking woman with dark skin and short, curly hair. “Lady Sofia is a third wife, married for her dowry and now mostly ignored. This gives her a chance to feel valuable, which she doesn’t get to experience in a lot of other parts of her life. I want to make these women - all the women here, really, although these are the ones who have come to me on their own - realize that they’re worth more than the ways in which the men in their lives define them.”

At that moment, Irene walked over to them and sat down beside Phasma, placing an affectionate kiss on the taller woman’s cheek before looking over at Rey with a soft smile. Now Rey really found herself in shock - were these two women really carrying on an affair in full view of anyone who cared to look out a window, including Lady Irene’s abusive husband? There weren’t many types of relationships that were taboo among the people of Alderaan, but Rey assumed that the Empire frowned on infidelity, even in sham marriages.

Irene’s words pulled Rey out of that train of thought. “I understand your first court banquet is in two days, Rey.” Her face wore a warm smile, which mostly canceled out the anxiety Rey immediately felt at the mention of another court function. “I hope I’m not insulting you by assuming you’ve never learned to dance?”

“Not a lot of need for it in the desert,” Rey answered, laughing. “The entertainment at Niima Outpost tended more toward drinking and gambling.”

Phasma chuckled. “Well, we certainly have plenty of that here, too.”

Lady Irene smiled at Phasma, then returned her attention to Rey. “If you’d like, Rey, we can help you learn the basics so you’re not overwhelmed your first time.”

Rey breathed out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, I’d love that.” Perhaps, with these women helping her, this banquet wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

***

When Rey entered the banquet on Hux’s arm, Kylo was immediately grateful that few of the courtiers could see his reaction from where he stood.

Kylo recognized the importance of banquets and other court events as a means for Hux to cement his power. And since he had no confidence in either the loyalty or ability of the ordinary palace guards, he always attended as an extra precaution. However, his distaste for the events meant that he usually lurked in the shadows, scanning for any potential security threats, rather than participating as a typical First Knight would.

Tonight he stood beside a column, out of the main areas of activity, but with a good vantage point on the doors where the royal couple would enter. And when they did, Kylo had to work hard to maintain his neutral expression and keep his face from heating.

Two years of attending events like these had mostly prepared Kylo for the sight of Hux in his full regalia, although he had to admit that it still gave him a thrill to see the man in fine robes that flattered his figure. But the sight of Rey looking utterly regal, Hux’s perfect match in every way, was new, and utterly entrancing.

Kylo smirked when Hux threw a glance his way as they paraded past. Then he nodded at Rey when she followed Hux’s gaze and spotted him. It was odd, he thought, as they proceeded to the high table to be waited and fawned on - he should feel jealous that his lover now had a wife to occupy his attention, and yet the addition of Rey seemed more a blessing than a curse. And, judging by the look Hux had given him as the royal couple passed, the Emperor’s interest in his First Knight hadn’t waned.

Kylo found his gaze frequently straying to where Hux and Rey sat, at the head of the hall, accepting toasts from various courtiers. After what seemed like an endless parade of people had paid their respects, Hux led Rey onto the dance floor and they separated to join their respective circles, Rey flanked by Phasma and Irene.

The women had done an admirable job teaching Rey in the few days they had. Although Rey was certainly not the most graceful dancer present, no one watching her would ever suspect that the Empress hadn’t done this hundreds of times before. And that was the impression they wanted to give the court: that Rey was a foreign princess Hux had fallen in love with and brought back with him to his capital. Only a few people - including Hux’s council, unfortunately - knew differently.

Kylo’s gaze wandered between Hux, an elegant and sure-footed dancer as always, and Rey, who slowly seemed to be coming into her own, her expression breaking into a soft smile as she joined hands with the other women for the dance’s final steps. At this moment, it was difficult to imagine that she hadn’t been born for this.

***

As the dance ended, Rey felt a wave of dizziness hit her. She was certainly familiar with the effects of alcohol, since her people drank fermented mare’s milk at their celebrations, but it wasn’t as strong as the clear liquor that the Imperial court seemed to favor. The toasts she hadn’t felt comfortable refusing earlier in the evening were starting to get to her.

Phasma looked at her apprehensively, but Rey waved her away. She just needed to sit down somewhere to regain her balance. Spying a couch by the edge of the room, she made her way over, concentrating hard on walking as straight as possible so she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself in front of these snobby courtiers.

Almost as soon as Rey finally collapsed on the couch, she felt it sink down as someone else sat on the other side. As she turned to look, she felt a clammy hand grab hers and press it to a pair of dry lips.

“Empress,” the visitor said, and Rey’s clouded mind eventually recognized him as Hask, the nobleman who had questioned her presence in the council chamber a few days before.

Rey tried to avoid grimacing visibly, and put all her energy into appearing calm and sober in order to avoid giving away any weakness to this vulture.

An unkind smirk played on Hask’s lips as he asked, “And how are you enjoying your first Imperial banquet? Is this anything like the affairs you are used to?”

At the obvious dig at her humble origins, Rey felt anger creep up her spine. Keeping her tone haughty and condescending, she replied, “It’s nice, but it’s nothing like the celebrations we have among the Alderaan.”

Hask’s face curled into a snarl. “You may think you have the Emperor wrapped around your little finger, girlie, but I know what game you’re playing. You can’t toy with the Emperor and screw his chief knight and think the court won't catch on.”

For a second, Rey forgot her anger and was simply dumbfounded. Where had this idiot gotten the idea she and Kylo were having an affair? Could he have seen them training together that first morning? Aside from their little tumble, that was hardly incriminating.

Then it hit her. Someone had reported seeing them out in the city to Hask. And it could just be a coincidence, but it didn’t take much of a leap to imagine that he might have had something to do with the men who had attacked them in the alley.

At that thought, rage streamed through Rey, and she used its force to take on the haughtiest royal persona she could muster and crush this cockroach. “Lord Hask,” she spat, “I am your Empress, and if you ever speak to me in such a crude manner again, I will destroy you.”

Hask seemed to recognize a losing battle. He inclined his head. “Well, then, _Your Majesty_ ,” he said, emphasizing her title mockingly, “I hope you enjoy your first Imperial campaign. I believe the Emperor intends to take D’Qar in the next week or so.” And with those words, he was gone.

Rey sighed and felt her head fall back against the couch. Having gotten rid of Hask for the moment, she found the alcohol clouding her brain so much that she couldn’t make any sense of his parting words. Campaign? D’Qar? She closed her eyes, setting those questions aside for later and allowing her sudden exhaustion to overcome her.

***

When he saw Hask slide in beside Rey on the couch, Kylo felt a rush of cold anger toward the slimy councilman. But just as he was about to march over and interrupt, he felt a hand stop him.

“Let’s wait and see what he does,” Hux said quietly in Kylo’s ear. “It seems he’s not too fond of our new Empress at the moment.”

It was clear that Rey was holding her own in the conversation, and Kylo cheered internally when Hask got up, clearly miffed that he hadn’t been able to shake her. But then he saw her fall back against the couch.

Kylo turned to Hux. “She’s had too much to drink. You should get her to bed.”

Hux leaned into Kylo slightly, and his lips were nearly touching Kylo’s ear when he murmured, “I can’t. I have to stay here and listen to people trying to toady up to me for a while longer.” Hux’s head tilted slightly, and for a second, Kylo thought Hux might lean on his shoulder. But then Hux drew away slightly. “Will you take her back to her rooms?”

Kylo nodded. Then he stepped out of the shadows for the first time that night to approach Rey. She didn’t react when he came to stand directly in front of her, so he sat down next to her and murmured in her ear, “Rey? Time to wake up.”

She groaned groggily. “Is it time to go already?”

Kylo laughed. “For you, it is.” He stood and used her light grip on his arm to hoist her up until she was leaning against him, so he was fully supporting her weight. “You’ve had a little too much to drink, Empress. Hux asked me to escort you to bed.”

Kylo led her to the nearest exit, but his hope of escaping notice was dashed when he saw Hask watching the two of them intently. Well, so be it.

Once they were in the courtyard, Kylo abandoned all propriety and picked Rey up in his arms, telling himself it was to avoid dragging the hem of her dress and her dainty slippers in the dirt as they walked, and not just because he wanted to feel her warmth against his chest. And he tried to ignore the pang in his chest when she sleepily put her arms around his neck and nuzzled against him.

When they finally arrived at her rooms, it occurred to Kylo that Rey wouldn’t be awake enough to take care of her own clothing, and her dress should be removed to avoid ruining it as she slept. Carefully, he set her down on her feet and, making sure to support her sagging form, he removed her fine outer robes and left her in only her thin shift. He tried not to think about how her skin felt on his as he picked her up again and settled her in her bed.

He knew that he should go, should get as far away from here as possible and leave Hux to make sure she was alright when he returned from the banquet. But Kylo couldn’t resist sitting down beside her and running a finger down her soft cheek as she settled down into the pillows.

What he didn’t expect was for her to suddenly wake up enough to grab his face and pull him down to her in a sloppy, wet, but surprisingly passionate kiss.

Kylo’s first thought was to pull away - this was Hux’s wife, after all - but the warmth of her lips and her arms around his neck were intoxicating, and after a moment, all he wanted was more. When he ran his tongue across her lips, she opened to him and moaned obscenely, and he answered with a groan of his own.

Then Kylo heard rapid, purposeful footsteps approaching, and it felt like a bucket of cold water had been thrown over him. He pulled away rapidly, and felt a tightness in his chest as he looked into Rey’s sleepily confused eyes. After a moment, he dropped his hand from her face.

Their faces were still flushed when Hux entered, took in the situation, and raised an eyebrow at Kylo. But his expression softened when he approached Rey, a slight smile on his face. “I just came to tell you goodnight, my dear,” he said, as Kylo moved aside to allow Hux to sit beside her and press a gentle kiss to her forehead. Rey sighed, and Kylo could see her lean into Hux’s touch.

As Kylo turned to leave, he found himself desperately hoping that Rey’s sudden affection toward - well, both of them, really - wasn’t only a product of the alcohol she had consumed and wouldn’t completely disappear in the morning.

***

The moment Hux stepped into the room, it was obvious that something had happened between Kylo and Rey. Their faces were flushed, and the atmosphere was charged between them. He felt himself growing… angry? indignant? aroused? He shoved that final thought away into a dark corner of his mind to consider at another time.

Then Rey looked at him, her expression toward him far more tender than he had ever seen it when she was sober, and whatever frustration he might have felt toward the two of them melted away. He couldn’t resist approaching her, kissing her forehead, and murmuring to her, and when she responded with a sweet little whimper, so different from any sound he had ever heard her make before, he was lost.

But he reminded himself of the promise he had made to her, and so he forced himself to slip away, out into the courtyard, and from there onto one of the terraces overlooking the harbor. For a long time, he stood there silently, leaning over the railing and watching the dark outlines of ships rocking gently with the tide.

He had taken as many toasts as Rey had, but he was taller and his body was more used to overindulging at events like this one, so he found his head was mostly clear as he replayed the moment in his head. What was Ren playing at, when it came to Rey? He couldn’t imagine his First Knight going behind his back to start an affair with his Empress - that kind of underhandedness simply wasn’t Ren’s style - but he knew what desire looked like in Kylo’s eyes, and that had been it.

As if the large man could overhear his thoughts, Hux suddenly felt large hands circle his waist, and he leaned back against a solid chest as Kylo leaned his cheek gently on top of Hux’s head.

Standing there like this, both of them looking out into the darkness of the harbor, Hux found it surprisingly easy to voice his thoughts to Kylo. “I’m a little envious of you, you know.”

Kylo grunted, and Hux felt him respond, “Why?”

Hux sighed. “She trusts you. More than she trusts me, at least.”

Kylo let out a puff of air that sounded like a short, bitter laugh. “She doesn’t trust me, Hux. She needs something to cling to in this viper’s den we’ve thrown her into, and for now I’m serving that purpose. Not as well as Phasma and her ladies, but I do my part. She doesn’t trust me any more than you trust Hask.”

Hux was surprised to find that Kylo’s words, although undeniably true, stung. “I suppose we just have to be patient, then,” he murmured.

Then he heard Kylo growl, “I’m not very good at being patient,” before he turned Hux around to face him and seized the redhead’s lips with his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Archie Panjabi is totally how I picture Irene, mostly because of her badass character on The Fall. Good stuff.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chapter contains a brief reference to possible sexual violence. He doesn't follow through (or even really mean it) but it's still Not Cool.

The first thing Rey was aware of when she woke up was a splitting headache. She groaned as she lay back into the pillow, massaging her aching head. She had drunk too much at past occasions, but she had never before felt quite so miserable. It took several minutes for her to stumble out of bed and get herself a drink of water, but after she did, she slowly started to come back to herself.

Then flashes of the night before began to come back to her. Kylo carrying her back here in his arms. Warm and strong. That had been nice. Hux kissing her forehead, telling her to sleep well. That had been nice, too.

Then… had she kissed Kylo? As that memory returned to her, she groaned again. That had been stupid. Especially after what Hask had said to her…

Hask. The memory of his parting comment hit her, and now, coming out of last night’s drunken haze, she puzzled it over. Imperial campaign to take D’Qar? Rey knew very little about the rest of their continent, but she had met a few D’Qar traders at Niima Outpost. She knew they were fiercely proud of their democratic government and egalitarian society.

So Hux planned to conquer them, to subdue them and place them under Imperial rule. Kylo would use his magic to weaken them, and Phasma would run her cavalry over their defenses. It shouldn’t matter to her - she had never been there, their people were not her own.

And yet, it did matter. Would she really allow Hux to do the same thing he had done to the Alderaan to an entire city, even a foreign one? Was the excuse of protecting her own people really enough to make her lay aside her morals?

Rey cursed her foolishness. She had allowed herself to be pampered, to become complacent, to forget who Hux and his lieutenants were because that was more convenient and comfortable than facing the truth.

And, as she thought about it, she had allowed herself to begin to think of Hux not as kidnapper, but as husband. She had allowed him to seduce her with his touch: with his arm around her shoulder, with chaste kisses.

She could stay here and continue to hide her head in the sand. Or she could do something. If she left, Hux would come after her, and maybe he would make good on his threats. But she would rather lead her people to honorable death in battle, delaying the Imperial army’s march toward another conquest, than stay here and ignore the suffering of others.

Her mind was made up. She couldn’t stay another minute in this prison.

Once she had dressed, she slipped into the armory and grabbed several weapons. And then it wasn’t difficult to convince one of the stable boys to tack up a horse for her. Apparently the nobility often went on morning rides through the city, and the stablehands had no reason to suspect she was planning to run away.

When she finally made it through the main gates of the city without being stopped by any of the guards, she allowed herself to breathe. She was free, and headed home. Whatever consequences this would bring down on the people of Alderaan, it was better than being the Emperor’s lapdog while he continued to make other people suffer to feed his dreams of conquest.

***

It took several hours for Kylo to realize that Rey was missing. First, he had assumed that she was sleeping off last night’s overindulgences, and he thought little of the fact that she hadn’t risen at her normal, early hour. Then, when he later checked her rooms and found them empty, he assumed that she was with Phasma and her ladies. And by the time he saw Phasma and thought to ask whether she had seen Rey, it was already past midday.

When Phasma told him she had seen no trace of Rey that morning, Kylo retreated into his study, and within a few minutes, he had the answer he was looking for.

Hux was in the middle of a council meeting, watching with his usual, bored expression as his councillors moved figures representing troops around a map of D’Qar, when Kylo appeared at the door and said, quietly, “Your Majesty, a word.”

At the look on Kylo’s face, Hux rose immediately, excusing himself from the gathering with a gesture before following Kylo out into the hallway. “What is it, Ren?” he asked softly, his voice full of concern.

Kylo kept his voice low, watching for possible eavesdroppers as he spoke. “Rey’s gone.” Hux’s eyes met his in alarm. “No one’s seen her since last night, and a stable boy reported that she took a horse out for a ride early this morning.”

Hux cursed. “Can you track her?”

“I’ve already located her, about twenty miles outside the city. She’s got a good head start on us, but she’ll have to rest her horse at some point. With good mounts and a couple of spares, we should be able to catch up by nightfall.”

Hux nodded curtly, before turning toward the stables.

As they walked, Kylo went over last night in his head. What had happened to make Rey run? What had been so horrible, that she would be willing to risk her people’s lives in order to get away from them? His mind kept replaying their kiss, but he chastised himself. Even if she felt embarrassed by the memory when she woke, there was no reason that should have made her run.

Then his mind flickered back to Hask’s slimy hands on Rey. It had to have been Hask. Hask had told her something that she considered so horrible, she was willing to risk everything in order to get away from them. He tried to push down the hurt that bubbled up in him at the idea that she had run away from them, but it was quickly converting itself into rage.

The rational part of Kylo’s mind recognized that anger would not help them find Rey faster, and it certainly would not be helpful when they found her. But that part was being subsumed by the anger he felt at her betrayal.

Hux turned back toward him, presumably hearing Kylo’s hard stomps and realizing that he was losing control of his temper. He grabbed Kylo’s shoulder and looked at him for a long moment, his face hard. Then he murmured, “Our job right now is to bring her back, Ren. The rest of it, we’ll deal with when she’s back in the palace.”

Kylo nodded, his rage melting away again as he used Hux’s voice and touch as an anchor, and reminded himself of their mission. Everything else could be resolved after Rey was safely back with them.

***

The first time Rey had traveled through these woods, she had been a captive, dragged along by a faceless group of knights, and they had simply been the background to her imprisonment. But now, riding through them as a free woman, she lost herself in the green, leafy beauty of the trees, the sounds of the birds, and the smells of the lush vegetation. If there was anything she would miss when she returned to the desert, it would be this climate, where plants could thrive, rather than eking out a meager existence in the unforgiving landscape.

Eventually, Rey reached a place where the road met a stream, and dismounted to water her horse. The sun had nearly sunk below the trees, and it would soon be time look for a good place to camp for the night. Perhaps there would be a glen somewhere off the road where she could curl up and avoid the notice of anyone Hux and Kylo Ren might send after her.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats thundering up the trail behind her. Maybe just a band of merchants? she thought hopefully. But she could feel the answer in the pit of her stomach. She knew exactly who was coming up behind her.

Perhaps it wasn’t yet too late to outrun them. Even though this was unfamiliar territory, she was practiced at riding hard on rough terrain. She sprang for her horse and had almost reached him when a tree limb came crashing down beside her mount, spooking him and making him bolt.

Rey spun around to see Kylo Ren dismounting swiftly from his horse, his arm outstretched. She drew the sword she had taken from the palace this morning and faced him, the memory of the last time they had dueled keeping her far enough from him that he couldn’t freeze her again.

But a clattering sound behind her suddenly drew her attention, as Hux dismounted as well and walked toward her from the other direction. The momentary distraction provided Kylo with enough time to come up behind Rey and disarm her, his strong arms clamping down on hers to hold her immobile.

As Hux strode into view, Rey felt her heart both flutter and sink at the same time. Why was it that, even now, knowing all of the terrible things he did in the name of his Empire, she was somehow relieved to see him? She shook the treacherous thought away.

One of Hux’s long fingers reached out and tilted her chin up so she was forced to meet his intense gaze. He spoke softly yet distinctly, as if he had all the time in the world, even as his burning eyes belied the patience in his voice. “Why did you run, Rey?”

Rey shook her head in an unsuccessful attempt to push his hand away. When that failed, she looked down, away from his searching gaze. “I want no part in your campaign against D’Qar. I agreed to be your Empress, not to go along with your warmongering. I’d rather die honorably than support your campaigns against people who have done nothing to you. People who rule themselves, rather than submitting to a tyrant.”

She looked up again, and she saw surprise flash across his expression before it hardened. His fingers tightened on her chin, and she wondered fleetingly if he intended to slap her, or kiss her. But he did neither. He and Kylo held her immobile between them, and for the first time since her arrival in Coruscant, Rey felt completely helpless.

His voice was soft and dangerous when he spoke again. “We made an agreement, Rey. One that cannot be so easily broken. Do you want me to order my garrison to slaughter your friends?”

Hearing him threaten her put her back on solid ground with him. She forced resolve into her voice. “Better that than live as your slaves.”

Hux moved his face closer to hers, his eyes burning into hers. “You gave yourself to me, Rey. Or don’t you remember the vow you made when we married? You promised me heirs, and I intend to have you honor that promise.”

At those words, Rey felt herself grow warm. But Hux could not be allowed to think that she would give in on that particular issue without a fight. She managed to wriggle her hand free of Kylo’s unsuspecting grip and landed a hard slap on Hux’s cheek.

Hux backed away, rubbing the red mark she had left as Kylo regained his grip on her and twisted her arms painfully behind her back. When Hux’s eyes met hers, Rey was surprised by the hurt she found there.

Then Hux looked at Kylo, and his expression was hard again. “Tie her up and throw her onto the back of a horse if you have to, but we’re bringing her back to the capital tonight. I will not have rumors flying about a runaway Empress. Her disappearance has already caused me enough trouble as it is.”

To Rey’s mild surprise, Kylo actually did bind her hands behind her back. As he did, he murmured in her ear, “That was extremely foolish, Rey. You don’t understand anything about this.”

Kylo’s tone was soft enough, even though his hands binding her were firm, that she wondered if there was a chance that he was right. But no. He was simply doing the bidding of a bloodthirsty conqueror. “It’s easy enough to understand, Kylo Ren,” she spat, “and I want no part in your war games.”

He didn’t respond. When he had checked that the knots were tight enough, he threw her across his horse’s saddle and mounted up behind her. Hux had already tied the spare horses and the horse Rey had taken in a lead behind them.

Rey watched Hux’s back as he rode ahead of them. She hadn’t realized that beneath his pampered exterior he was a capable horseman. Another new piece of information about her husband. Along with the fact that he and his First Knight could track her a day’s ride across rough terrain without breaking a sweat.

As if he could read her mind - and perhaps he could, Rey mused - Kylo asked softly in her ear, “You really thought you could evade Hux when he has the skills of the most powerful wizard on the continent at his disposal?”

“Modest, aren’t we?” Rey grumbled, tucking herself against Kylo’s large and admittedly warm chest, trying to make herself as comfortable as possible for the long ride back to the capital.

Kylo grunted in reply, and pulled her closer to him, even though he did nothing to loosen the bindings on her wrists.

***

They had locked her in. It shouldn’t have surprised Hux that they would have to resort to this, but it still felt barbaric to lock his own wife, his Empress, up in her room. He leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the sitting room, staring at her closed door and picturing her on the other side. Was she raging against him, or hurt, or finally resigning herself to this fate? How many more defeats would she need to take in order to accept her position here, with him?

Kylo lay sprawled on the adjacent couch and fixed Hux with his usual intense stare, until Hux finally lost his patience.

“What is it, Ren?” he snapped.

Kylo continued to look at him for a long moment before he spoke. “You know Mara would be disappointed in you for speaking to Rey the way you did.”

Hux allowed his head to fall back against the wall. He should have expected that Ren would bring his mother up. “Mara’s dead. I don’t care what she thinks.”

Kylo chuckled softly. “We both know that’s not true.” Then his face grew more serious. “Stop threatening her, Hux.”

“If threats are the only way to keep her in line, then so be it.”

“You don’t mean that,” Kylo growled. He fell silent for a long moment, before remarking, “If you didn’t think she would try this at some point, you’re a fool.”

Hux looked away then. “Of course I thought she might try it. But, fool that I was, I thought we were making progress. I thought she might eventually want to stay with us without the need to resort to force.”

Kylo barked out a bitter laugh. “Without the need to resort to force? What do you call sending me out onto the battlefield to kidnap her, then? Threatening to kill her friends unless she married you? You began your marriage by resorting to force, and it will take a lot more than a few small kindnesses from you to convince her to forgive you for that.”

Hux frowned. “I don’t need her forgiveness. I just need her cooperation.”

Kylo rose and walked over to Hux until his face was a few inches from Hux’s. He cupped the Emperor’s face in his hands and moved his lips close to Hux’s, making Hux shiver. Then he whispered, almost inaudibly, “If you think that, then you’re lying to yourself. Go apologize to her, Hux.”

And then Kylo was moving away and walking toward his own quarters, and Hux was left alone with his thoughts.


	8. Chapter 8

For three days, Rey was locked in her quarters without contact with anyone. Even her food was shoved inside on trays before the door was immediately shut again. She trained as hard as she could in the confined space, trying to make herself so exhausted that she didn’t have to think about her failed escape, and the destruction her captors were even now planning to bring down on D’Qar. Sometimes it worked.

On the afternoon of the third day, Rey was in the middle of one of her routines when the sound of several soft footsteps approaching and her door squeaking open signaled that someone new had arrived. Rey sighed with relief when she spun around to see Phasma and Irene in the doorway.

Phasma was holding what looked like a fine piece of cloth in her hands and smiling wickedly. “We’ve come to get you out of here for a little while. If you’re willing to dress up?”

Rey laughed, delighted to see these two women for the first time since the banquet. “I would wear almost anything if it meant I could leave this room.”

Phasma held out the item, which turned out to be a brocade robe. “Then put this on and follow along. We’re paying our respects to your honorable husband’s ancestors at the Great Temple.”

Rey took the robe gratefully, but the mention of Hux made her stomach turn. She reminded herself that, as much as she might like these women, Phasma was still one of Hux’s top advisors. She put the fine cloth aside. “I’m not sure I want anything to do with his ancestors, to be quite honest.”

Phasma raised an eyebrow and looked over at Irene, who pointed out, “That part doesn’t matter. Hux wouldn’t let us see you, so I came up with an excuse he couldn’t argue with. And besides, we want you to meet a friend of ours.”

Despite her conflicted feelings, the opportunity to break out of her prison, even for just a little while, was too great to pass up. Rey slipped the fine robe on, quickly put her hair in order, and followed the two women outside.

As they made their way through the courtyards that Rey now realized she had desperately missed during her isolation, she felt her spirits lift. Phasma and Irene were careful to avoid any mention of Hux or of her escape, although they must know all about it. Rey wondered if anyone else at court did.

When they entered the Great Temple through the palace doors, they didn’t go straight into the main sanctuary. Instead they turned into an almost hidden passage that led to a small room lit by many candles and occupied by a diminutive woman who turned around as they entered.

“Ah, the new Empress!” the woman exclaimed, hobbling over on a cane to examine Rey closely. “She’s not what you expected, is she, Phasma?”

Phasma laughed. “Not at all. Rey, this is Maz, Chief Priestess here at the Great Temple and one of my first friends when I arrived here in Coruscant. Maz helps me with the parts of my business I can’t handle from the palace.”

When Rey shot her a curious look, Irene smiled and explained, “Maz helps us identify women, both noble and common, who are in need of our help, and when our safe houses in town are full, she often finds places for them to take shelter.”

Remembering Phasma’s promise of help, should she find herself in trouble, and Hux’s threat when he and Kylo had intercepted her, Rey stiffened.

Maz’s sharp eyes noticed. Her expression turned soft. “I’ve known the Emperor since he was no taller than I am. If he needs a good beating, I’m one of only a few people who can administer it without facing consequences.”

Rey shook her head, smiling at this tiny, fierce woman. “I think I can handle him on my own, thank you.”

Irene cut in then, having apparently decided it was time to change the subject. Her voice was light as she asked, “Shall we take the Empress down to the catacombs?”

Maz nodded. “There are candles down there, but we should take a prayer book with us.” Phasma took one of the old, crumbling books from a shelf by the entrance as Maz took a torch from the wall and led the way through a hidden door down a tight, dark, spiral staircase.

Irene turned to Rey with a warm smile. “Ready?”

Rey took a deep breath and nodded, before following the women down into the bowels of the temple.

The stairs were slick with water that dripped down from the ceiling, and Rey found herself reaching for the stone walls several times to avoid slipping. By the time they finished their descent, the air was stale and the musty smell was almost overpowering. They began moving forward.

“These are the tombs of the lesser knights,” Maz explained, lifting her torch to point out rooms that were lined with rows of brick shelves. Rey had never been squeamish or superstitious, but knowing that each one held a body in some state of decomposition made her shiver.

They continued walking, forming a small knot around Maz’s torchlight as it pushed away the creeping darkness. They passed the tombs of lesser wives, advisers, court wizards. Finally, after what felt like miles of walking underground, they reached the first Imperial tombs. The first they saw belonged to an Emperor several centuries old, his First Knight buried at his right hand and his Empress buried at his left. All of their sarcophagi were carefully carved, as if these long-ago rulers had not died, but simply been turned into the stone figures now sleeping on their lids.

“Here?” Rey asked, realizing she had no idea what her husband’s lineage even was, let alone how to honor his ancestors.

Phasma chuckled. “No, the Hux dynasty began centuries after Constantine the Wise. Hux’s father’s ancestor was a First Knight who killed his master and stole the throne, so we don’t light candles for anyone who came before Brendol the Clever. And we’ll ignore the ones we don’t like. You’ll see.”

So they went on. The quick, shadowed glimpses Rey caught as they walked past showed that each tomb held three coffins, although the decoration in each tomb was as different as each generation must have been from the next in life. Some were lined with mosaics, others frescoes, still others carvings. Some depicted scenes from battles, some hunts, some dances and feasts. But they all filled Rey with a sense of a world that had been lost - a time that had come and gone and had been replaced by a profound sense of emptiness.

They stopped once, at Phasma’s direction, to take candles from a shelf by the door of one tomb and light them, one at the foot of each of the sarcophagi.

Rey looked curiously at Phasma. “What makes this Emperor special?”

Irene laughed. “He’s the one whose whoring and drinking weakened the Empire and allowed Phasma’s great-grandfather to take back Parnassos.”

“I’ve always been grateful to him,” Phasma quipped, a smile playing across her face. “Would you like to sing the prayer for the departed?”

She was holding open a page in the prayer book, written in an elaborate, decorative script. Rey froze. She had never been taught to read as a child, and although she had learned a few sums when she arrived among the Alderaan, this was well beyond her abilities.

Fortunately, Phasma noticed her wide eyes and softly amended, “Why don’t we sing them together?” Joining her voice to Phasma’s, listening as the woman’s deep alto voice intoned the prayers in a language that seemed to belong to another time, Rey haltingly made her way through the prayer.

They stopped at other tombs along the passage, seemingly at random. But none of the other tombs they stopped at, Rey observed, belonged to Emperors who had ruled in the last century. Apparently no one here felt any love for most of the Emperors who had placed the Empire in its weakened state. As they passed one tomb without stopping, Maz whispered to Rey, “Your husband’s father. But no one here acknowledges him.”

Rey looked curiously over at Phasma, but she was looking straight ahead, her expression cold and determined. They walked on.

Finally, they reached a doorway and paused, and Rey was surprised to see an almost reverent expression on Phasma’s face.

“Brendol the Great, the last great man to rule the Empire,” Maz murmured. “Until your husband, of course.”

Rey expected to find wry disdain in Maz’s expression, but she found only respect there. Was it possible that even Maz, this fearless, outspoken woman, believed in Hux?

She followed the others in, glancing at the frescoes on the walls and cringing at the relentless scenes of battles they depicted. She went through the motions of lighting the candles, and as she did, she looked at the carved face of Brendol the Great, lying in state before her. His features looked remarkably like Hux’s, she mused, but there was a hard edge to it where Hux’s face still seemed to hold a hint of warmth.

When they finished the candle-lighting and singing, they left the tomb in silence, the small, warm blooms of the candles barely beating back the darkness that threatened to consume them. Rey assumed that when the candles they had lit had burned down, the catacombs would be plunged into pitch black again.

There were more - perhaps older - tombs further down the passageway, but their group went no further, instead retreating back down the long passageway and out of the stale air of the catacombs. When they finally arrived back in the chapel, Rey sucked in a deep breath of fresh air.

And then she looked over at her companions, and knew that she was in for an interrogation. Maz was busying herself with tidying up but was very obviously ready to listen to the conversation, while Irene sat on the table, and Phasma leaned against one of the walls, both of them carefully examining Rey. Finally Phasma asked quietly, “Why did you run?”

Rey had known this was coming. She sighed, trying to avoid Phasma’s piercing gaze. “Hask told me that the Emperor plans to invade D’Qar.”

Irene smiled bitterly. “So you’ve met my lovely husband, then. He’s a real treat.”

Rey gaped. Hask was Irene’s horrible, abusive husband? It was difficult to imagine someone as gorgeous as Irene matched with someone as disgusting as Hask. But she supposed that was how arranged marriages worked. She had certainly seen plenty of problems in her own marriage, and it wasn’t even a week old.

But Irene and Phasma were looking at her, still waiting for an answer, so she continued. “I don’t want any part of Hux’s ambitions. I don’t want to help him subjugate more people.” She had failed, so it didn’t matter if she told them now. “I wanted to raise up my army against him and at least delay the attack.”

Phasma sighed and ran a hand through her short hair impatiently. “Goddess, Hux is an idiot. I wish he would agree to just tell you - no, Maz,” she said, looking over at the old woman, who hadn’t looked up from her dusting, “I’m not going to tell her, it’s not my role.” She paused. “If he told you, then you would actually understand what he’s doing. I imagine it’s not enough for me to say it’s not just blind ambition and empire-building? That, in this case, he’s trying to do something good?”

Rey shook her head. She wanted to trust Phasma, she really did, but the image of this woman, masked, holding a sword over Poe’s head was difficult to shake.

Phasma took a step toward Rey, although she stayed far enough away to avoiding crowding her. Her voice was soft and low as she growled, “If you knew that I, daughter of a conquered people, believe in him and follow him, would that sway you?”

Rey couldn’t stand Phasma’s intense gaze any longer. She looked away. “So far, Hux has given me no reason to believe him. If he wants me to trust him, then he needs to trust me.”

***

That evening, perhaps prompted by something Phasma had said to him, Hux appeared in Rey’s chambers. He stood awkwardly at the door, his usually immaculate hair slightly ruffled, and eventually Rey took pity on him and invited him to sit on one of the couches.

“Well?” she asked, finding herself growing impatient as she stood a few paces away from her silent visitor.

When he looked up at her, she could tell he was trying hard to stay in command of the situation, but he wasn’t used to making himself vulnerable in front of other people. Finally, he bit out, “You shouldn’t have tried to run away.”

Rey raised an eyebrow, still standing with her arms crossed, several feet away from Hux. “Yes, that’s been made clear to me several times. I won’t say I agree, but the message has been received.”

Hux sighed and ran his hand through his hair again. “But I treated you badly when we found you. I’m sorry.” The apology was spat out quickly, as if Hux was afraid it would burn him if it remained in his mouth for too long.

Rey fought down the urge to laugh. The Emperor was asking her forgiveness? This was too much. “Your Majesty,” she replied, using his title to distance herself from the man whose soft expression was currently altogether too appealing, “you did nothing I should not have expected from a man who cares about nothing but power.”

Rey felt a slight twinge of regret when she saw that his face looked like he had just been slapped again, but she reminded herself that he deserved this, and ten times more.

After a moment, he rose from the couch and stood before her, apparently using his height to try to gain the upper hand. “I do not seek power for myself. It is my duty as Emperor to achieve glory and prosperity for my people.”

“At the expense of others?” Rey felt her blood boil. “What kind of Empire is that?”

He took a step closer to her, and when he spoke, his voice was low. “My ancestors allowed their people to suffer from their utter lack of ambition. The Empire thrived under Brendol the Great. That is what I want to return to my people. That is their birthright.”

“Their birthright? Or yours? You don’t conquer for your people - you conquer so you will be remembered as a great ruler.”

For a second, Hux’s eyes were so full of rage, Rey thought he might slap her.

But instead, he turned, pausing only at the door to declare sharply, “This conversation is over. Tomorrow you will take part in a ceremonial procession to ask the Goddess’ blessing on our campaign. If you refuse, there will be consequences.”

And he was gone, and Rey heard him turn the key in the lock again. She sank onto the couch, both angry and puzzled. She would be forced to play another role in support of the Emperor’s warmongering. And yet, something about his flustered apology didn’t quite sit with her idea of him as nothing but a cold, calculating tyrant.

***

Hux was pacing back and forth across the floor of his study when Kylo found him, his hands clasped tightly behind his back and a tense expression on his face. Kylo paused in the doorway, and Hux looked over at him.

“The knights will be ready to ride tomorrow,” Kylo reported quietly. “How is it progressing with the main divisions of the army?”

Hux ran a hand through his hair, agitated. “I don’t like it, Ren. We need this city, and I trust you when you say we need it soon, but our position is weak. Our supply lines will be long, and several shipments that were supposed to have arrived from Chandrila yesterday were attacked by bandits on the way here.”

Kylo frowned. This was the first he had heard of this, although that wasn’t surprising, since he had barely left the knights’ barracks over the last few days as they entered the final stages of preparation for the campaign.

“And on top of that,” Hux continued, “twenty horses went wild yesterday, killed and maimed several stable workers, and had to be put down before they could do more damage. The cavalry can still ride, but there won’t be many reserve mounts.”

Kylo felt his mouth go dry. Yes, these events could be misfortune, coincidence. But he met Hux’s eyes and knew that, even though the Emperor was less likely to blame things on magic than he was, this time their thoughts had gone to the same place. If he was wrong, then the only harm done would be to the people of D’Qar. If he was right…well, then they would find out soon enough.

He leaned back against the doorway and changed to a slightly different subject. “How did Rey react when you told her about the ceremony?”

Hux sighed and covered his face with his hand. “Not well. She still doesn’t accept that we’re doing the right thing. Tomorrow will not be pleasant for anyone, I’m guessing.”

Kylo took a deep breath to calm his rising temper. “Hux, of course she’s not going to understand unless you explain it to her. Can you perform the ceremony without her tomorrow?”

Hux shook his head. “No. It will send a message to the populace that we’re not united. We need to all be of one mind in this, even if one of us needs to be dragged along a bit.”

Kylo fought down his frustration with the way Hux was treating Rey. She wasn’t his concern. If Hux wanted advice, he would ask. And they both knew that they needed to push forward with this campaign, even if their Empress didn’t approve.

But Kylo softened a little when he saw Hux’s usual facade cracking slightly.  He moved to pull the redhead into his arms, murmuring, “Get some sleep tonight, Hux. You’ll need it.”


	9. Chapter 9

When Phasma and Irene arrived in the morning to prepare Rey for the procession, she barely said a word to the two women, and they didn’t try to draw her into conversation. From the way Irene pulled at her scalp more than usual and Phasma stomped around the room, Rey could tell they were almost as angry about the situation as she was, which made her feel slightly better. But it wasn’t much comfort - she knew that they were angry for her sake, not because they opposed Hux’s warmongering.

Finally, as Phasma was putting the finishing touches on her ensemble, Rey took pity on her friends. “This dress is completely impractical for riding a horse.”

Phasma cracked a smile. “They’ll help you mount, and they’ll expect you to ride sidesaddle. All very ladylike.”

Rey frowned. “How am I supposed to control the horse if I can’t use my legs?”

Irene chuckled from behind Rey, as she finished up the Empress’ elaborate hairstyle. “I assume they’ve chosen a horse with an even temper who will follow the others without any guidance from you.”

Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes. The assumption that prevailed here that women were incompetent galled her every time she encountered it. She felt a sudden wave of homesickness - the Alderaan would never assume a woman needed to ride a docile horse simply because of her outfit.

Phasma leaned over to rest a hand on Rey’s shoulder, smiling warmly. “I promise we’ll take you out for a real ride - in pants - when we return.”

Rey forced herself to nod, but the reminder that Phasma would be riding with the invading army made it difficult for her to look forward to the outing.

Their work done, Phasma and Irene left, and then, suddenly, Hux was at the door, his arm out to escort her. Despite the harsh words with which they had parted the night before, his expression was soft, and she felt her breath catch at the sight he made in his fine robes.

Hux reached his hand toward her and asked lightly, “Shall we, my dear?”

Even if her body was still determined to betray her, Rey refused to give in to him. She placed her hand on his arm but said nothing, avoiding his gaze entirely as he led her toward the stables.

***

Rey supposed that she should feel powerful, sitting sidesaddle atop the Emperor’s tallest black stallion, with guards pushing the crowds out of the way as she and Hux rode by, but in truth, all she felt was trapped.

Hux was immediately beside her on an equally large white mare, looking resplendent in gold robes, and his frequent glances in her direction only served to remind her that she had no voice in the proceedings. She was only complying with his orders under the continuing threat of harm to her people.

She tried not to think about the fact that her role in this ritual was to ask the Goddess’ blessing on the army’s campaign as they marched up the coast to conquer D’Qar. If she dwelled on that too much, she was afraid she might throw up her breakfast.

Kylo was riding a few paces behind them on his big, black destrier, scanning the crowd for possible threats. Given what they had seen in the City Temple, it was entirely possible that religious dissidents might try to express their displeasure by interrupting the ceremony. As much as she disagreed with their beliefs, Rey couldn’t silence the small part of her that hoped that something might happen to disrupt her participation in the ceremony and stop the campaign from riding.

As it happened, she got part of her wish, although not in the way she would have intended.

All at once, something seemed to shift in the crowd around them. Something felt wrong. Rey glanced over her shoulder into the hordes of people lining the streets and saw sunlight glinting off of something metal.

She had only enough time to listen to her screaming instincts and leap toward Hux, her skirts tearing as she did. Whatever her personal feelings toward the Emperor at the moment, she knew that she couldn’t allow him to come to harm when she was close enough to do something to stop it. She pushed him off his horse and shielded his body with her own as they tumbled to the ground.

Then she heard a scream above them, and looked up to see the large white flank of Hux’s mare crashing toward them. And that was when everything went black.

***

He should have been dead, Hux thought with surprising detachment as he lay stunned beside Rey. The poisoned arrow that had taken down his horse should have hit him. Would have, if Rey hadn’t pushed them both down to the ground just in time.

And the fall, and the horse’s body crashing down on top of them, should have broken bones, ribs, crushed their insides. Except just as Hux was anticipating the hard impact of the ground and the horse on top of them, it was as if a cushion had formed around them, protecting them from the ground and from the animal’s body.

There was no more time right then to think more about what had happened. There was still a ceremony to complete. The Emperor had to get up and do his job.

At that moment, Kylo and Phasma, who had been riding, helmeted and armored, within the procession, arrived alongside them and began lifting the mare’s lifeless body off of Hux and Rey. When they were free of the horse, Kylo offered Hux a hand, and he took it, levering himself up and testing his limbs as he did.

“Everything alright?” Kylo grunted.

Hux nodded, flexing his hands and feet. “Doesn’t feel like anything’s broken.”

Then they looked over to where Phasma had knelt to examine an unconscious Rey, who was lying in a pool of torn and dirty fabric. “She’s breathing, and I don’t feel any damage,” Phasma reported. “I think she’s just passed out.”

Hux looked up at the guards who had quickly moved to surround them, blocking the crowd’s view of what was happening. But whispers of disaster, of the gods’ displeasure, would quickly spread if they didn’t do something immediately. They didn’t have time to wait for Rey to come to.

Hux looked back at Phasma. “Ren, can you disguise Phasma as Rey? If we don’t get through the ceremony quickly, we may not be able to start the campaign until it’s too late.”

Kylo looked over at Phasma, who nodded her approval. He waved his arm and muttered something, and suddenly, a clean, well-dressed copy of Rey was kneeling where Phasma had been. The sight of Rey holding herself was a little disconcerting.

Then there was also the issue of tracking down the would-be assassin. As if he had read Hux’s mind, Kylo turned to one of his knights and ordered, “Take your unit and search the crowd and the nearby buildings. Look for any signs of the attacker. Move as quickly as you can.” The knight nodded and left to coordinate the search effort.

When the knights had departed, Hux moved closer to Kylo and murmured, “Get her back to the palace, Ren.”

Kylo nodded and took Rey’s limp body from Phasma, nestling her in his arms, and Hux couldn’t help the pang of regret he felt at not being able to bring his wife back to the palace himself. But he had his own role to play in the ceremony, and that was his priority right now, as much as he might want to stay with Rey.

As Kylo prepared to mount up, Hux stopped his First Knight with a light hand on his arm. “Thank you for protecting us,” he added, trying to invest his words with some of the gratitude he was feeling.

Kylo looked down at Rey’s unconscious form, his face unreadable behind his helmet, and replied softly, “It wasn’t me.” Then he mounted up and disappeared into the crowd.

Hux shoved Kylo’s puzzling comment from his mind and went to find himself another horse.

***

Kylo had dozens of other duties to attend to, but he found he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Rey’s sleeping face. This small woman, so peaceful in sleep, had inadvertently revealed that she had powers that might eventually grow to rival his own.

And he had almost lost her. Remembering the arrow that would have pierced her side, or Hux’s, had she not been fast enough in knocking them both from their horses, he shuddered. He had been assigned to protect them both, and he had failed. His Emperor and Empress were only alive now because of her quick reflexes and, apparently, her latent magic powers.

When his knights had come in to tell him that their search had turned up nothing, only Rey’s calm, sleeping presence had stopped him from spending his rage by grabbing his sword and running it through every surface he could find. Not that he had really expected them to find anything, of course. He knew who was behind this, and the old man was too careful to leave any traces behind.

Kylo trailed his hand down Rey’s cheek, pushing an errant strand of hair out of the way. He jumped slightly when he heard Hux come in behind him.

“How is she?” Hux murmured, sitting down beside Kylo on the bed and resting his chin on Kylo’s shoulder.

Kylo leaned back into Hux’s chest, appreciating his warmth. “She’s fine. But I anticipate she’ll be unconscious for a while, maybe even days.”

Kylo felt Hux raise his head. “Days? Ren, what-?”

Kylo cut Hux off and turned toward him. “She saved you both, Hux.” Kylo saw Hux’s eyes grow wide. “That was her powers manifesting. They emerged when her life was at risk, and now, if she develops them properly, she’ll be able to use them.”

Hux looked at Rey, and Kylo thought he saw a note of admiration in Hux’s eyes. Then he turned back toward Kylo, his concern reappearing. “But why is she still unconscious?”

Kylo shrugged. “It’s normal. I was told, after my powers manifested, that I slept for almost a week. But it was a more…stressful situation than what Rey just went through.” Kylo frowned at the memory.

Hux moved closer to Rey, although he didn’t touch her. He looked back at Kylo. “Well. This is certainly an auspicious start to our campaign.”

Kylo grunted in reply, wrapping an arm around Hux’s shoulders and pulling the Emperor closer to him. In a few hours, they would be setting off on campaign, with thousands of soldiers depending on them to keep the army safe. And yet Kylo couldn’t shake the feeling that they were marching straight into a trap.

Hux leaned into Kylo’s chest. When he spoke, his voice was soft, but dangerous. “We’ll get that bastard, Ren. We’ll take him down.”

Kylo sighed. He wished he could feel as confident as Hux sounded.

***

When Rey opened her eyes, the sunlight streaming through the windows of her room nearly blinded her. She let out a soft moan of displeasure.

Irene immediately looked up from where she was reading on one of the couches and came over to sit beside Rey. “How are you feeling?” she asked, gently smoothing a hand over Rey’s forehead.

Rey thought for a moment. “Fine, I think. What happened?”

Irene gave Rey a soft, reassuring smile. “You’ve been asleep for two days. I’m assuming you’re hungry?”

At that moment, Rey’s stomach growled, and she nodded. Irene brought over a tray, and together they tore apart still-warm bread and picked at fruit for several silent minutes. Finally, when they had finished eating, Rey dared to ask the question that was now burning in her mind. “They’ve already left on the campaign, haven’t they?”

Irene looked away and nodded. “Right after the procession.”

Rey felt a knot build in her throat. All of her efforts to stop them had come to nothing. The Emperor and his army had set off on their bloody warpath.

Then something else came into her mind, driving away for a moment the bitterness she felt toward her husband. “Was Hux alright?” she asked softly, barely daring to look at her companion.

“Not a scratch.” When she finally glanced up at Irene, the woman was studying Rey curiously, but said nothing more. After a long moment, Irene stood. “Since the palace is nearly empty right now, would you like to stretch your legs?”

It wasn’t anywhere close to what she wanted to be doing right now. What she really wanted to do was to take a horse and bring Hux back to the palace by the ears. But since that was unlikely to happen, she decided walking around with Irene was better than sitting in her room. Then a thought popped into her mind. “What about Hask? He won’t try to attack you, without Phasma here?”

Irene let out a laugh that was much louder than anything Rey had expected to hear from the petite woman. “After the last encounter we had, I doubt he’s anxious to try anything on me. I don’t need Phasma around to be able to fight him.”

Rey found herself smiling, despite herself. Irene really was a strong woman, in spite of what her feminine appearance might seem to suggest.

Irene let her lead the way, so Rey found herself wandering through areas of the palace she had never set foot in. When they reached a long arcade in an empty courtyard with several open doors, Rey felt herself inexplicably drawn to the last door in the row. She ducked inside.

Visually, the room Rey found herself in was inviting. The floor was covered in a thick rug, and most of the space was taken up by a large, handsome mahogany desk. There were some thin windows, which partially lit the room, while leaving the corners cast in darkness. And the shelves were stacked with more books than Rey had imagined existed in the world.

But despite its appearance, the room filled Rey with a sense of foreboding she had felt in no other room in the palace. It felt as if something was lurking in those dark corners, ready to strike at anyone who dared invade this silent space.

Allowing her curiosity to push away that fear for a moment, Rey drew closer to the desk. The surface was strewn with more books and papers, many of which looked ancient. Running her hands over one that was covered in unfamiliar letters, she saw what looked like an image of a ship hurling a large object at a city wall. Could those be tendrils of fire snaking out of the projectile? Rey had never seen anything like it, and the unnatural sight made her feel suddenly sick to her stomach.

Rey felt Irene come up beside her. “This room does not belong to the living,” the woman said quietly. “Come away from here.”

***

The siege was now entering its second day. When the army had arrived at D’Qar at midday yesterday, the large gates were already shut against them. The Imperial couriers, who had been sent with the message that the Empire would spare the people of D’Qar and be merciful to them if they capitulated immediately, were refused entrance. So the army set up camp beneath the hulking walls, just out of range of the city’s archers, and began to assemble their siege equipment.

Kylo couldn’t shake the feeling that, the longer they sat out here, the more vulnerable they made themselves to attack. They could handle D’Qar’s forces, of course - the city relied on its walls to keep it safe, and had very little attacking forces to speak of. But against a more powerful army, they would have nowhere to take shelter and make a stand. They would be defenseless.

So it was imperative to get this over with as soon as possible and get the Imperial troops behind walls that could protect them.

Kylo stood behind the front lines, surveying the battlefield and keeping an eye on Hux whenever he could. He used minor spells to send the defenders’ arrows astray as they flew down from the city’s ramparts, and to cover the Empire’s soldiers as they set up siege ladders to scale the walls. But he was keeping as much magic in reserve as he could, knowing that should they be caught out here unawares, he would need as much power to defend the army as he could muster.

As usual, Hux ignored Kylo’s admonishments and remained right in the line of fire, moving throughout the lines, encouraging the troops and giving strategic guidance where needed. Kylo admitted that this was part of what made the Emperor an effective leader, but the habit was frustrating, given that Kylo’s main goal was to keep Hux safe.

About halfway through the afternoon, Hux had taken his ginger mare, Millicent, around to the army’s left flank to consult with officers there. Kylo didn’t like having the Emperor out of his sight, and was about to mount his own horse to go after Hux when suddenly his head began pounding fiercely and it was all Kylo could do to keep himself from screaming. He sank to his knees and covered his ears with his hands to shut out the ringing that echoed through his whole body.

And that was when it hit. Vaguely, in his almost whited-out vision, Kylo could see a burning ball of something smash into the city walls, knocking huge stones down into the harbor.

The sound unfroze Kylo’s limbs and he sprang into action, desperation fueling his motions. He ran for Vader, mounting up and spurring the horse in the direction Hux had gone. But he breathed a sigh of relief when, only a few seconds later, he saw a ginger horse barreling toward him from the front lines. He pulled his destrier up next to Hux’s mare and they strategized quickly, neither of them bothering to dismount.

“We need to get those people out of the city!” Hux yelled over the din of another fireball crashing into the city walls. “Can you contact the city leaders?”

Kylo nodded. “I don’t know how quickly they can organize an evacuation, even if we can cover the people they can get out.” He looked over at the walls, which were already beginning to disintegrate into rubble. “I don’t think they’ll last much longer, and every minute we sit out here, we’re vulnerable.”

“We’ll move up into the hills where we’ll be out of range of their ships. Tell the city leaders to send all the people they can to us.”

At Hux’s words, Kylo looked around to take stock of the situation, and suddenly he realized that the real threat hadn’t been a land-based attack at all. In the harbor, a line of black sails stretched out as far as he could see. When those ships reached land, anyone who was still nearby would be annihilated.

They needed to act fast, because now they were even more vulnerable than Kylo had previously imagined. As Hux moved to relay his orders to his generals, Kylo spurred Vader toward a quiet spot where he could contact the city leaders and somehow, he hoped, convince them to trust the people who had just been attacking them.

Just like that, the siege was over. The most powerful army on the continent was in retreat.

***

Hux didn’t like leaving Kylo alone to coordinate D’Qar’s evacuation. Whenever Kylo sunk into a complicated spell, he always left himself wide open to attack, and Hux didn’t trust the other knights to properly protect their master.

The first rowboats had already launched from the ships when Hux finished communicating orders and setting the army into motion. He had been relieved to find that Phasma had already anticipated his orders and had begun coordinating the units on her side of the battlefield.

And as the boats came closer to shore, the gates to the city creaked slowly open and a line of people began pouring out. Hux tried not to think of how few of them were riding, and how small their packs were - few of them, he imagined, had time to gather any of their possessions.

Finally, Hux caught sight of Kylo, sitting beside his horse under a tree that was much too close to the shore for Hux’s comfort, flanked by two of his knights. Kylo was still speaking into a small ball of light in his hand when an arrow, shot from one of the rowboats, struck his shoulder.

Suddenly, all Hux could see was red as he spurred Milly toward Kylo’s slumped figure. The knights had dismounted and circled Kylo, but as far as Hux could tell, they were doing nothing useful. He shouted at the knights to cover them as he leapt down from his mare and ran to Kylo’s side.

When Hux reached Kylo, he turned the large knight over to examine the wound. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Kylo’s eyes were open, if slightly drooping.

“Ren,” he shouted, slapping the man’s cheek to wake him up, “can you heal yourself?”

He watched Kylo slowly return to consciousness. The knight was clearly struggling to understand Hux’s words, but eventually he bit his lip and nodded. Steeling himself, Hux reached into the wound and pulled the arrow out. He was pleased to see that the arrowhead had come out whole, although his relief was short-lived when he saw more blood come pouring out of the wound.

His eyes shut against the pain, Kylo whispered something, and the wound briefly glowed blue before the blood stopped flowing freely. As soon as the spell was over, he fainted.

Hux yelled at the knights, “Help me get him onto his horse!” and the three of them hoisted Kylo onto his black destrier. As they settled Kylo’s limp body over the saddle, Hux cursed the fact that his First Knight insisted on riding such a large horse.

Then, with a final glance back at the boats, which were now already beginning to make landfall, Hux took Vader’s reins in his hands and spurred the group toward the rest of the army, and safety. He tried not to think of how many people could have made it out of the doomed city - and how many hadn’t.

***

Despite the nagging feeling that the study she had found held something important, Rey had not returned to it in the week that she and Irene were alone in the palace. Every time she passed by the entrance to its courtyard, Rey was tempted to enter, but the knowing look Irene gave her always discouraged her from going closer.

They had resumed training with the other women, but although no one mentioned Phasma’s glaring absence, it wasn’t the same without their leader. Rey and Irene - and sometimes the other women as well - went for long rides along the coast, always accompanied by palace guards. And mostly, Rey and Irene kept each other company, each one distracting the other from worrying about what was happening to the north.

One evening after dinner, Irene had returned to Phasma’s townhouse, and Rey was left alone in the sitting room. The too-large room felt even emptier than usual without her usual companions, so Rey set about practicing a staff form in the center of the room to fill the space with her movements and sounds. But a sudden noise from behind her made her drop her weapon.

Hux was standing in the doorway, supporting a bloodied, barely conscious Kylo Ren. Without pausing to question the panic that rose in her at seeing Kylo injured, Rey ran to support the knight’s other side, following as Hux steered them to a door that Rey had never entered - presumably Kylo’s room. They wrestled him onto the bed and Hux went to the baths to fill a basin with warm water.

As the Emperor ran a wet cloth over Kylo’s face, Rey finally met his eyes and asked, “What happened?”

Hux looked at her solemnly, but Kylo interrupted him with a fit of coughing. Through his hacking, Rey could barely make out the words, “Snoke is back.”


	10. Chapter 10

Hux and Rey had finished cleaning and bandaging Kylo’s shoulder and they were lying on either side of him, just listening to each other breathe. She was trying not to think about the fact that she was only a few inches away from the large knight's bare chest, with its well defined muscles and the faint lines of several scars crossing its pale expanse.  Or that she was sharing a bed with her husband for the first time.  Even if that bed happened to be Kylo Ren’s and they were only sharing it so they could tend to his wound.

Hux had told her some, with Kylo adding a few words when his coughs subsided enough for him to speak.Snoke had come to the old Emperor’s court over a decade ago to offer his services as a wizard.At the time, Kylo had been his apprentice. 

Snoke’s magic was the driving force that had allowed the Empire to grow from a decrepit shell of an institution into the scourge of the continent – but at a price.Snoke demanded that prisoners who were captured during a campaign be turned over to him.And Hux’s father, ruthless and power-hungry as he was, was happy to oblige.Neither of the men elaborated on what Snoke did with those prisoners, but the haunted expressions on their faces made her reluctant to prod further.

Eventually, Snoke had gone too far and, he had ordered his knights to kill both the Emperor and his son in what they assumed was an attempted coup.The knights had succeeded at killing Hux’s father, but thanks to Kylo’s intervention, Hux had escaped unscathed.Driven by fear and rage, Kylo had gone after Snoke and pushed him off a cliff, but they had never found the old wizard’s body on the rocks below.

“So we knew we had to shore up our defenses against his eventual return,” Hux had explained, his hand resting on Rey’s and his thumb rubbing hers in a way that felt oddly soothing. “That’s why we had to take D’Qar. It would have given us a stronghold in the north, a position we could have defended the heartland of the Empire from.” His face fell. “But Snoke saw us coming. We never had a chance.”

Rey shivered. “And all those people in the city?”

Hux took his hand off Rey’s and stroked Kylo’s face gently. Kylo stirred slightly, but he didn’t wake from the light sleep he had fallen into. “Kylo contacted the city leaders in time for them to organize an evacuation. That’s when he got hit.”

Rey lay back, stunned. Kylo had saved people in the city the Empire had gone to conquer? It made sense, but it certainly didn’t fit with the image she had of him as a merciless fiend in battle. And it looked like he had taken a major hit for these people, too. The wound had barely been bleeding when he arrived, but it had probably been life-threatening when Kylo received it.  She assumed that his magic was the only reason he was sleeping peacefully now.

Hux continued, his eyes fixed on Kylo’s face, “I know we didn’t get everyone out, but we got a decent number. I brought Kylo back here as quickly as I could so we could take care of him, but the civilians are following behind with the army and should be here in a day or so.”

Rey rose up on an elbow and examined her husband’s face as she asked quietly, “What do you plan to do with a city full of refugees, Hux?”

Hux’s expression was tired when he finally met her eyes. “Try to accommodate as many as we can within our walls. Hope they don’t add to the discontent that’s already stirring.”

They were silent for a long moment as Rey lost herself in thoughts of the people who had made it out of D’Qar - and those who hadn’t. The image of those people, running for their lives and fearing for their loved ones, filled her with such an intense feeling of loneliness, that suddenly her ongoing war with Hux seemed small in comparison.

Rey stood and moved to the other side of the bed, where Hux was reclining, and she leaned against him until he wrapped his arms around her. He buried his face in her loose hair, and she let herself feel safe and protected for a moment in this world that was now falling apart around her even faster than she had realized an hour ago. Somehow, even the smells of dried blood and sweat coming from both of the men were comforting - the scent reminded Rey that they had made it through the battle safely, and they were here with her, at least for tonight.

Hux murmured softly into Rey’s hair, “Do you want to stay?” His voice was hopeful, more pleading than she had ever expected from the Emperor, and she imagined he was feeling exactly what she was – that none of them wanted to be alone, with the shadow of Snoke lurking just outside the palace walls.

“Please,” she replied, and she let him pull her closer as they both curled around Kylo’s sleeping form, and let sleep finally take them.

***

Kylo woke to a vague sensation of feeling very safe and warm. It took him a moment, as he opened his eyes to the pale glow of early morning, to realize that the feeling was coming from the sleeping forms of Rey and Hux, who were pressed against him, with Rey’s head resting on his chest.

They had spent the night here. They had stayed with him. They cared enough about him to stay here and make sure he was alright. Had anyone ever done that for him before?

He couldn’t resist running a tentative hand through Rey’s soft hair, enjoying the feeling of her warm breath and the hand that sprawled on his bare chest. And seeing Hux spooned around her, his hand at her waist… The Emperor was so seldom at peace, and seeing him this way made warmth creep up Kylo’s chest.

But as much as Kylo appreciated having them in his bed, this wasn’t right. Rey and Hux were married. He was the odd one out. He should remove himself from this situation before he got himself into trouble.

Disentangling himself gently to avoid waking his Emperor and Empress, he tugged on a loose shirt and padded out to the terrace to launch into one of his more demanding bare-handed combat forms.

He became aware of Rey’s presence the moment she came out onto the terrace, but he didn’t turn to acknowledge her immediately. He would give her silent companionship for as long as she needed it, but he wouldn’t push her. She fell into step alongside him, and they moved as if they were one person instead of two. Neither of them said a word, both of them allowing the flow of their bodies to clear their minds and help them find temporary peace.

When the form ended, both of them were breathing heavily, their chests rising and falling in almost perfect sync. Perhaps Rey didn’t realize it, but the look she was giving him was full of heat and anticipation. It was too much. Kylo turned and walked over to the railing to move away from her intense gaze.

The world around them, which was just barely waking up with the sunrise, was so at odds with Kylo’s roiling emotions.The fruit trees that perched precariously on the slopes of the embankment were barely rustling in the sea breeze, and the deep blue water of the harbor looked completely still from where they stood above it.Rey came to stand beside him, not quite touching his shoulder. 

This was the time, he decided. A part of him didn’t want to tell her at all, since once she knew, there was no taking back that knowledge. But he knew that he couldn’t put it off any longer. He needed to tell her about her role in this war that had finally begun in earnest. And maybe once he revealed the truth, it would stop burning a hole in his chest. Taking a deep breath, he began, “Rey, I have something I need to tell you.”

She didn’t reply, but a slight tensing of her shoulders told him she was listening.

“I wasn’t the one who saved you and Hux,” he admitted, still not looking at her. “It was you, Rey.”

She turned to look at him, a puzzled expression on her face. “I know. I saw the arrow and I knocked him off his horse. We were just lucky the fall didn’t do any damage.”

Kylo shook his head, and he felt her stiffen beside him. “Not lucky. That fall, with the horse coming down on top of you, should have hurt both of you badly. Maybe even been fatal. But it wasn’t. Because your magic awakened and protected both of you.”

Rey was silent for a long moment. Kylo wondered if she was even breathing. “What does that mean?” she finally asked, her voice tentative.

This was the part he had been dreading.  This was why he had hated Hux’s plan in the first place, even as he knew having her on their side would eventually be necessary. “It means I train you. We need you in the fight against Snoke.”

***

Rey was certain she had processed only about half of what Kylo had said to her over the last few minutes. Magic powers? Her? She had spent so much of her life relying on her own body and the horse under her to keep her safe, that the idea of having latent magic powers was almost ludicrous.

And yet, as she reflected on it, it started to make sense. Enemies she shouldn’t have been able to see or hear, yet she had sensed them. Reflexes that shouldn’t have been as quick as they were. Near-fatal blows that hadn’t been.

And now Kylo wanted to recruit for the fight against Snoke? Something that, a month ago, had had nothing to do with her? Her first reaction was to balk, to look around for ways to attempt another escape.

But the idea of abandoning Phasma and Irene – and, if she was being honest, Kylo and Hux, too – to Snoke’s onslaught made her feel uncomfortably like a coward. And besides, there was nothing to say that once Snoke had rampaged through the Empire, he wouldn’t then turn his attentions to the small, independent cities and tribes that sat on its fringes. Running away wouldn’t necessarily guarantee her people’s safety.

“Alright,” she finally said, her voice distant to her ears.

She looked up, and Kylo was staring at her intently. Remembering how close she had been to him last night while he was barely conscious - and barely clothed - she felt her face growing hot under his gaze. Finally, he murmured, “Let’s start by giving you an idea of what we’re up against.” He raised his hands toward either side of her head, then stopped and asked, “May I?”

Rey nodded, and Kylo touched his fingertips to her temples. She shivered under the warm strength of even this light touch. “ _Deixe_ ,” he murmured, and suddenly her mind was filled with images that she instinctively knew were coming from his memory.

She saw an old man who was withered, yet still brimming with terrifying power, his eyes devoid of anything that might resemble humanity.The old man - Snoke, she assumed - turned to bow before a man who must be Hux’s father.He had the same red hair, and his face had the same sharp angles as her husband’s, but this man’s face was hard and slightly brutish, with none of Hux’s subtle warmth.

Then she watched the old wizard as he stood in the center of a circle of people, all of them kneeling with their hands tied behind their backs. There was a flash of light, and she heard screaming, and Rey’s eyes flew open to meet Kylo’s in panic at what she had just seen.

His expression was sympathetic, but he only murmured, “You need to see this,” and he continued, his fingers still pressing gently into her skin.

Now she was looking up at a walled city and experiencing a pounding sense of foreboding that must have been coming from Kylo. A giant ball of fire came hurtling into her line of vision and slammed into one of the ramparts of the city. She jerked away from the large knight’s hands, panting as she looked up at him.

“That was him? At D’Qar?” she asked breathlessly.

He nodded. “I’ve never seen him use a spell like that before. But the feeling of his magic was all over the place. I have no doubt it was him.”

She looked away for a moment, still going over the images Kylo had shown her to try to understand the opponent they were now facing. The book she had seen in that empty office suddenly flashed into her mind. “The fireballs,” she whispered, “I’ve seen them before.”

Kylo suddenly looked at her sharply. “Where?”

Rey looked back at him, baffled by his sudden change in affect. “In one of the empty offices in a side courtyard. There was a book open to a picture of something that looked like what you showed me.”

Kylo sucked in a breath and cursed. “You can read them.”

Rey looked away, slightly embarrassed. “Well-“ she began, but he cut her off, instead rising and offering her his hand.

“Let’s go see whether we can learn anything new from Snoke’s library.”

***

Even though Kylo tried to stop himself from hoping that Rey could provide them with access to anything useful from Snoke’s library, he found himself growing more and more excited as they approached the isolated room.  If they could actually read what the old wizard’s spell books contained, it could be a game-changer in the war.

The library had been a forbidden place when Kylo was Snoke’s apprentice, simultaneously tantalizing and vaguely threatening. Snoke would disappear here for hours at a time, and as Kylo practiced spells or sword moves, he would always find his mind wandering - with a blend of curiosity and fear - to what the old wizard might be up to in here.

Even after he and Hux had overthrown Snoke, the wizard’s library had still been inaccessible to him, locked up by a spell that made all the books appear to be decaying and unreadable. Whenever he tried to touch them, they would disintegrate in his hands. And no magic that he had thrown at the room’s protective charm had any effect on it. As he walked into the room now, at Rey’s side, it still smelled like mildew and must, of rotting furniture and death.

And apparently Rey was immune to the spell.

But she was tense as they entered the library, and Kylo couldn’t quite figure out why. She froze in front of the large desk, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.

“Well?” he interrupted gently, placing a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “Why don’t you read a few titles, and we’ll decide which ones to look at?”

She didn’t reply. She was turned away from him, so he walked around in front of her and lifted her chin so he could see her face. “What’s wrong?” he murmured, seeing the look of utter panic in her eyes. It was perplexing – this woman had faced him down twice in battle, and yet here she was, frightened of an old wizard’s library?

“I can’t,” she whispered, refusing to meet his eyes.

He couldn’t hide the confusion in his voice. “Why not?”

She pulled her chin out of his grip and hugged her arms tightly to herself, turning away from him again. He could barely hear her words as she admitted, “I can’t read.”

What? How could she- but then he remembered what he had learned about Rey when he was helping Hux plan his campaign against the Alderaan. She was an orphan, had grown up scrounging and scavenging to survive. Of course she had never learned to read. And as the chieftain of a desert tribe, she would have had little use for writing beyond doing basic sums at their trading post.

Adjusting to life in the palace had not been easy for her for so many reasons, and he had just inadvertently called attention to yet another skill she lacked.

Kylo was suddenly overwhelmed by this fierce woman who was also just a frightened girl, humiliated by her lack of knowledge. Momentarily ignoring the fact that she was married to his Emperor, he put his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest.

To his surprise, he felt her relax against him, letting him hold her. She sighed softly and he let himself enjoy her closeness for the second time that day. After a moment, he murmured into her ear, “Will you let me read them through your eyes?”

She pulled away slightly and glanced up at him in confusion. “How?”

He motioned for her to turn again so she was facing the table, and placed his fingers on her temples again before murmuring, “ _deite_.”

Suddenly, the way she saw the room came into his vision. Instead of looking like it had been abandoned for centuries, the study now looked well-kept and tidy, like its owner had just stepped out for a few minutes, and intended to return shortly. Which was partly true, he thought with a shiver. Snoke certainly did intend to return.

He watched through her eyes as she picked up the book that lay open on the table which, as she had said, bore an illustration of something that looked remarkably like what they had seen at D’Qar. He shivered at the memory, and she turned to look at him, but he shook his head. They needed this information if they stood any chance of defeating Snoke. He would work through his fear.

He read for the next few minutes, asking Rey to turn the page or hold the book closer to her eyes when necessary. But after a while, he decided it was time to put this book aside. It was a history of dark wizards from centuries past who had wielded this kind of power, and it was disappointingly vague about the mechanics.

Gently he turned Rey’s head upward, to look at the titles strewn across the desk. Many were histories – things he would want to comb through later, but not now, when Rey wouldn’t have much stamina for the strength of the spell he was using on her. Spotting something that looked more like a practical spell book near the edge of the desk, he instructed Rey to pick it up and open it, and began reading.

***

Allowing Kylo to read through her eyes was exhausting, and although Rey was glad to be doing something that felt useful, she was still relieved when he pulled away from her and she could finally rest her eyes. The sunlight that peeked through the narrow windows was now tinted orange - they had been at this for most of the day. Rey turned around to look at Kylo. “Did you find anything useful?”

He sighed, and shook his head. “Not much,” he responded, “but we’ll continue tomorrow, if you’re up for it. Shall we go find Hux and tell him what we’ve learned?” He offered his arm, a strange, courtly gesture that she accepted easily, and they walked back out into the arcade.

And nearly collided with Hask, who was deep in conversation with a very bored-looking Hux.As all of them stopped suddenly, the richly dressed councilman let his gaze linger on Rey for a few seconds too long.Rey felt a chill creep up her spine as Hask bowed to her, his expression uncomfortably close to mocking. 

Hux’s eyes widened briefly at the sight of the Kylo and Rey, arm in arm, before he regained his composure and inclined his head slightly to each of them, looking curiously at Kylo.

Kylo stepped forward and spoke first. “Your Majesty, may I have a word with you?”

Hux nodded, carefully maintaining his indifferent expression, before announcing dismissively to Hask, “I’m sure what we were discussing can wait until tomorrow.”

Rey saw Hask’s face darken before the man bowed to the Emperor and turned to leave. As Hask’s departing form disappeared from view, Hux visibly relaxed and offered his arm to Rey.  After glancing over at Kylo, she dropped the knight’s arm and took her place at her husband’s side. Kylo fell into step a pace behind them, and Rey heard him mutter a few words before he went silent, saving their news for when they were alone.

When they arrived at their sitting room, Phasma was already there, no doubt summoned there by Kylo’s message. She met Rey’s eyes and smiled wanly as Rey dropped onto one of the couches, exhaustion from all of today’s revelations and magical exertions now seeping into her bones.

Kylo ran a hand through his hair, starting to pace. “Rey can read the books in Snoke’s library.”

Phasma raised an eyebrow at Rey in question, and Rey shook her head. Phasma nodded in understanding.

Hux looked over at Rey, with something that almost seemed like regret in his eyes. Perhaps he still wasn’t delighted by the idea of using her as a weapon. But he wasn’t so repelled by the idea that he would abandon it, apparently. “Do you think she’ll find anything we can use?”

Kylo shook his head. “It’s hard to say at this point. We spent several hours on it today, and nothing valuable turned up. But it’s the only place we might be able to find some of his spells, so it’s worth a look.”

Hux nodded, then turned to Phasma to begin sorting through the evening’s paperwork. Kylo sat down beside Rey. “I’m sure you’re tired right now,” he said softly.

She nodded, leaning her head back against the cushions and allowing her eyes to drift shut.

“If you’re up for a little more work, though, I’d like to get you started on a few basic spells.”

The only thing Rey felt like doing at that moment was curling up and falling asleep, but she reminded herself of their mission, and raised her head. “Alright,” she replied reluctantly.

Kylo placed his hands, face up, on his thighs. “This will be easier if we’re touching. That way I can guide you if something goes wrong.”

Somehow, the idea of touching his hands like this felt shockingly intimate - an odd thought, since she had fallen asleep curled around him last night and had spent much of the day with his hands around her face.  But she swallowed her apprehension and placed her hands in his large, warm ones. The contact sizzled through her body, making her feel immediately more alert. He rubbed his thumbs over the tops of her hands reassuringly.

“We’ll start with an easy spell. _Fotia_ ,” he declared, and a small flame leapt to life in the space between their hands.

Rey started at the sudden appearance of the fire, but it vanished as quickly as it had arisen. Hux and Phasma, deep in conversation, paid them no attention.

Rey turned back to Kylo and met his intense gaze. “Now you try,” he told her softly. “Picture where you want to create the flame, imagine what it will look like, then speak it to life.”

She took a deep breath and did as Kylo had instructed, imagining a flame just like the one Kylo had created coming to life in the air between them. Then she copied his intonation and said, “ _Fotia_.”

And she gasped and recoiled as a ball of flame, easily ten times bigger than the one Kylo had created, came into being.

“Stamata,” Kylo quickly uttered, and the flame disappeared again. He smiled at her. “Good first try, although a little too forceful. Try it more gently this time.”

Over the next hour or so, as Phasma and Hux conferred on the adjacent couch, Rey mastered creating her own fire, putting out fires that Kylo created, and then sending her voice to different parts of the room.

Finally, after Rey managed to whisper something in Hux’s ear without Phasma hearing it (eliciting a smile from him before he returned to their discussion), Kylo rubbed his thumbs over her hands again and said gently, “I think that’s enough exertion for one day. I’m training with my knights tomorrow morning, so I’ll see you in the afternoon for more research.”

Rey looked up at Kylo’s mention of his knights. They had been her silent guardians on the ride to Coruscant, but she hadn’t seen them since. She felt a sudden desire to meet them, to see what they looked like without their helmets on. “Can I come train with you?”

Kylo grimaced, and shook his head. “These knights fought on our side when we overthrew Snoke, but that doesn’t mean I trust them. Snoke had influence over almost every aspect of Brendol’s court, and that includes them. The less they know about you, and the less access they have to you, the better.”

Rey nodded, feeling a chill run through her at the reminder that, in the fight against Snoke, everyone was a potential adversary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who's commented or left kudos - I'm so glad you all are enjoying this, and it's so awesome to hear from you!
> 
> Look out for another update or two soon - I've got a couple more chapters almost ready to go, after this one.
> 
> And yes, the spells are in Greek (since this world is vaguely Byzantine) and I blame all errors on Google Translate. ;)


	11. Chapter 11

Over the next several days, even as Rey was busy training with Phasma’s women, reading with Kylo in Snoke’s library, and mastering the spells he taught her, she frequently asked about the refugees from D’Qar.

Kylo knew, of course, why she wanted to know about the D’Qaris. She empathized with them, people taken from their homes against their will, many of them losing loved ones in the process. But her focus on the refugees was also slightly infuriating. They had a war to fight, after all, and the plight of foreigners living in their city could only occupy so much of their attention.

Kylo suspected that it was mainly to satisfy her curiosity when Hux declared that the royal couple would make a public appearance in the city and visit all five of its districts. And Rey seemed to appreciate the gesture, since she didn’t object to wearing a gown that would require her to ride sidesaddle, or to the number of guards that would be accompanying them on the ride.

As the procession left the palace gates and began to make its winding route through the city, Kylo rode beside Phasma, with both of them positioned directly behind the royal couple. They were on high alert, and Kylo was using several spells to monitor the streets and surrounding buildings for threats.

Kylo was prepared to put up a magical shield around Hux and Rey in the event of an attack, but he didn’t really expect one to manifest. Snoke never used the same tactic twice, and he had to know that Kylo was now watching for another pubic assassination attempt. When his next volley came, it would be something they weren’t expecting at all.

The day was already hot, and the sun beating down on his armor was making Kylo sweat furiously. He could only imagine how Rey and Hux must be feeling under their heavy, formal robes. And once they turned off of the cobbled ceremonial road, the dust that their horses’ hooves kicked up was nearly blinding, and it soon filled his throat, making Kylo cough furiously. When summer hit the city in full force in a few weeks, this heat would only get worse. If the drought continued, the lush plants that usually lined the avenues would wither, and the only sign of plant life in the city might be in the painstakingly watered palace gardens.

Unsurprisingly, the three wealthiest districts were calm and orderly, with minor nobility and prosperous merchants lining the streets to greet their Emperor and Empress. But the show of support was little more than a pleasant facade. If the most recent reports were to be believed, there was a great deal of unrest in these districts, and most of it was below the surface, lurking in the dark corners of the drawing rooms and taverns. Although these well-dressed people might be cheering and waving, Kylo knew that many of them were hiding plots against the diadem behind their smiling faces.

It was almost a relief, then, when they entered the city’s poorest district - the fourth - and were met with open hostility. Instead of orderly rows lining the main boulevards, they found themselves facing what seemed like an impenetrable wall of dirty, poorly clothed people standing in the street that led into the district’s main square, all of them yelling angrily. Kylo quickly motioned for several of the guards to dismount and clear a path through the mob for the procession, while he and Phasma raised their swords in case they needed to defend the Emperor and Empress.

As the procession approached, Kylo began to make out some of what the people were yelling. “Murderers!” was a common theme, which led him to assume that many of the people assembled must be D’Qari refugees. So apparently helping to evacuate the city hadn’t absolved the Empire of the crime of attacking the city in the first place. Disappointing, but not surprising.

Others were yelling things like “fat pigs!” and “give us bread!” He cringed. Given that Rey was already concerned for the refugees’ welfare, he assumed that learning that many of them didn’t have enough to eat would only rile her up more.

But as they pushed through the smelly, sweaty mass of humanity to the market square, it seemed there was another, completely different thread of anger in the crowd. “Send the D’Qari swine away!” Kylo heard one man shout, and another yelled “Traitors!” before hurling a tomato in Hux’s direction. Kylo turned the projectile aside with a simple spell, and Hux’s bright white robes remained unmarred, but the message was clear. While the refugees were angry about their treatment at the Empire’s hands, many of the other inhabitants of the district were just as angry that the D’Qaris had been allowed into their city at all.

The wall of angry people was solid all the way into the fifth district, and didn’t dissipate until the procession reentered the more prosperous third district. Throughout, Hux had remained stoic in the face of the epithets (and several physical objects) being thrown at him, which hadn’t surprised Kylo at all. But he had been impressed by how well Rey maintained her composure. She held her head high, without any visible cracks in her facade.

That changed when they had returned to the palace and made it safely into their sitting room. Rey said nothing for several long minutes, as she leaned stiffly against the wall, her chest heaving, as if she were searching for the right words to start with. He, Phasma, and Hux all sat silently, watching her.

Finally, she moved forward and turned on Hux, declaring hotly, “This is absurd. You can’t wage war when your people hate you.”

Hux raised an eyebrow, and replied in a measured tone, “My dear, I think it’s a stretch to say the people hate us.” It didn’t escape Kylo’s notice that Hux had used the word “us,” where Rey had used the word “you.” “People got riled up by a few agitators in the crowd. We will seek out the culprits, and then the rest of them will calm down.”

Rey took a step back. “That’s your solution?” she breathed out, looking at Hux with horror, as if she were truly seeing him for the first time. “Instead of responding to the people’s complaints, which were all perfect valid, you plan to use arrests to terrify people?”

Hux stood and walked toward Rey, reaching his hand out her. When she shrank back to stay out of his reach, he sighed and dropped his hand. “We’re fighting a war, Rey,” he replied, his voice heavy with resignation. “I may not like the tactics required, but they are necessary if we intend to defeat Snoke.”

Rey remained where she was, a pace away from Hux, but her hands tightened into fists as she bit out, “You can’t win a war without your people’s support, Hux. And they won’t support you when they’re starving and crammed into dirty streets like animals! You need to treat them with humanity, or they’ll rise up against you. You really want to fight a war against Snoke and your own people at the same time?”

Phasma, who had been listening silently up to that point, added, “She’s right, Hux. We’ve got to consider the possibility that the refugees may contribute to the unrest in the city. Keeping them packed into the poorer districts isn’t a sustainable solution.”

Hux rounded on Phasma with a fury that Kylo wasn’t used to seeing from the Emperor. “And what do you propose we do? The wealthier districts may make a show of supporting us, but there’s plenty of sedition brewing there, too. If we try to resettle refugees in those neighborhoods, we’ll get backlash from our strongest supporters.”

“Then send aid.” Rey stood tall and fixed Hux with her gaze. “Food, clothing, whatever they need - send it to the poorest areas, and at least show them that you’re trying to help them.”

Hux sighed, and his voice softened again as he met her eyes. “The drought means that food supplies are already low, Rey. If we send more supplies to the refugees, then our own people will get less. That’s not going to make us popular with people who already believe that the drought is our fault.”

Rey tightened her hands into fists as her voice grew louder and more vehement. “So you’re going to let your poorest people go hungry while the wealthy feast? What kind of ruler are you?”

Kylo saw anger flash in Hux’s eyes again as he growled, his voice low, “The D’Qari are not my people, Rey. I am not responsible for their welfare.”

Rey froze at his words. Then, without another word, she turned and left the sitting room, slamming the door behind her. Hux stood in the center of the room for a few seconds longer, then turned and walked stiffly toward his own room, his fury still apparent in his step.

Phasma looked over at Kylo with a hint of humor in her eyes. “I’m impressed, Ren,” she quipped, “You’ve ceded the title of angriest person in the room to not one, but two other people.”

He smirked, thankful for the reprieve from the heavy discussion. “And look!” He gestured around the room. “Not a single slash mark in the furniture!”

***

Growing up, Rey had been forced to fend for herself, and one of the things she had most appreciated when she lived among the Alderaan was that everything was shared. If the herds produced less milk and wool to sell at the markets, then everyone ate a little less that year. If there was surplus, everyone enjoyed it. The idea that some people would go hungry while others - including herself - indulged severely offended Rey’s sense of justice.

But Hux would not listen to her. So she needed to find someone who would. Phasma and Irene were too close to the Emperor for Rey to trust that they wouldn’t report back to him. There was only one person she knew with the resources to help and the guts to defy the Emperor’s wishes.

Rey waited until night had descended on the palace and the sitting room was quiet. When she was certain everyone else was in bed, she padded outside and slipped through the courtyards, staying in the shadows and out of sight of guards. When she had made her silent way there, she rapped on the giant oak door that led to the Great Temple. For a harrowing few seconds Rey wondered what she would do if a guard or a minor priest answered the door. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Maz’s diminutive figure before her, holding a single candle and looking at her with curiosity.

“High Priestess,” she announced, inclining her head, “I need your help.”

***

A week later, Rey slipped out of the back entrance of the temple to the Goddess for the city’s fourth district, drawing her cloak closer around herself despite the warm night. Speaking the counter-spell to the one she had used to conceal her horse (a useful little charm she had wheedled out of Kylo last week), she untied the docile mare she had taken from the palace stables earlier that evening and mounted up.

The streets of the city were completely silent at this time of night, and the sound of her horse’s hooves on the paving stones filled her with a rush of exhilaration. For the first time since Hux had brought her to Coruscant, she was doing something on her own - doing something that actually mattered to her people’s lives. It was hard not to feel proud of the work she had begun, even as she was horrified by the depths of poverty that persisted so close to the luxury at the palace.

Technically, her presence wasn’t really necessary. Once she and Maz had made contacts and set up a system to distribute the supplies in the two poorest districts, the project would run without her involvement. But interacting with these people, even in disguise, made her feel like a real leader again, in a way that she hadn’t felt since she had left the desert.

She frowned. Tonight, although no one had addressed her with a title, whispers of “Empress” had reached her ears. If someone had actually recognized her, then perhaps it would be safer for her to stay away for a few nights, as much as she hated the idea.

With the stable boys sleeping peacefully in the loft above, Rey tacked down her horse and watered her, then padded softly back into her bedroom.

But something didn’t feel quite right. Rey eased herself into the dark room and, making as little noise as she could, began to move forward to investigate, only to hear a quiet, dangerous voice from within declare, “I hope you had a pleasant ride, my dear.”

Rey felt her heart stop. Hux had never come into her bedroom unannounced. She could now barely make out his outline in the half-moonlight peeking through the windows, but she didn’t need to see his face to know that he was livid.

She would not let him know that he had rattled her. That was one of the first things she had intuited about how to deal with her husband. “What brings you here this evening, Hux?” she responded as casually as she could manage.

He said nothing, but she heard him move toward her. She stood still, unwilling to give him any ground, and felt him reach toward her. He brushed her cheek with his fingertips. The touch made her shiver.

“My love,” he whispered, his face now maddeningly close to hers, “Does a husband need a reason to see his wife?”

So this would be his game tonight, then. He wanted to intimidate her into revealing where she had been. Well, she wasn’t going to play along.

“Hux, I’m tired,” she responded, trying to keep her voice even. “If you have nothing to say to me, then I’d like to go to sleep.”

But as she started to move around him, he grabbed her arm firmly - not enough to hurt, but enough to make his point. “Yes, my dear,” he said in her ear, enunciating each word crisply, “I’m sure you are tired, given that you’ve been running around the city every night for the last week disobeying my express orders.”

There was no room to maneuver, then. Someone had told him everything. Rey sighed. “How did you find out?”

His grip on her forearm tightened, and his voice was full of tightly coiled fury when he replied, “Yesterday, my council informed me that there were rumors flying in the city about the Empress personally distributing supplies in the fourth district at night. I said that was impossible, but I decided to investigate on my own yesterday evening. Imagine my surprise when I saw my wife, whom I assumed to be safely in her bed, in the most dangerous part of the city in the middle of the night.”

Rey opened her mouth to protest that she didn’t think the fourth district was dangerous at all when he continued, “I knew you couldn’t have done this on your own. It didn’t take much effort to find your contacts and get the whole story.”

He didn’t continue, and she was silent for several minutes as she struggled to get her racing thoughts under control. He had no right to speak to her this way. She had every right to look out for these people who were now in her care, and he should be ashamed that he wasn’t doing the same. But the undercurrent of betrayal in his voice - that he had trusted her, and she had broken that trust - stopped her from telling him so. She wanted to ignore the fact that she had hurt him, but the guilt that was beating against her chest was hard to dismiss.

And this was all compounded by the fact that for some bizarre, incredibly frustrating reason, her body seemed to find her husband’s ire not repulsive, but arousing. She closed her eyes, trying to shove down the completely irrational impulse to lean into his touch, instead of pushing him away.

Finally, she won the battle that was raging within her - at least for the moment - and bit out, “I’m your wife, not your underling. Your orders don’t apply to me.” He remained silent, so she continued, “I can’t go along with a policy that leaves anyone in my care - no matter where they come from - to suffer while others have plenty. It goes against every fiber of my being. As long as you allow them to go hungry, I will do everything in my power to feed them.”

Hux dropped her arm suddenly. His voice was cold when he finally replied, “I was under the impression that we were working together to defeat Snoke, Rey, but apparently I was wrong. If you’re going to undermine me among my own people, then you’re no better than my enemy.”

She pushed away the lump that had formed in her throat at Hux’s words and ground out, “I suppose I am.” And because suddenly she couldn’t stand being in his presence any more, she turned and ran out the door, through the sitting room, and onto the terrace, taking in big gulps of air as she leaned against the railing.

Kylo must have been lurking in the dark sitting room, because Rey hadn’t been outside for two minutes when she heard his heavy footsteps approach and felt him come to stand beside her.

“Would it be entirely unsolicited advice,” he finally asked, with a hint of humor in his voice, “to suggest that, if you want to get something done around here, you don’t do it by going behind the Emperor’s back?”

Rey huffed, although she felt herself involuntarily smile a little. “He wasn’t going to listen to me, and those people needed help immediately. If there had been another option, I certainly would have considered it.”

There was a beat of silence, and then he asked seriously, “This really matters to you, doesn’t it?”

She frowned, looking out at the harbor as waves quietly lapped at the cliffs below. “When I became chief of the Alderaan,” she reflected, “I took an oath to defend my people. Not just those who could serve in the army and guard the flocks, but those who were weak or young or old and needed our help. And I guess I assumed that would also be my role as Empress. To protect my people.”

Kylo sighed. “And it is, in the abstract. But Hux has been so focused on Snoke over the past two years, that the other aspects of his job have become less important to him. It’s difficult for him to understand that you don’t share his priorities.”

“I’m not going to stop doing this just because he doesn’t like it.”

Kylo laughed softly and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear affectionately. “Of course you won’t. Little desert savage, stirring up trouble wherever she goes.” Somehow, it sounded like an endearment coming from his lips, and she was surprised to find she liked it.

***

As incensed as he was with Rey, Hux was surprised by the sudden rush of jealousy and arousal that hit him when he saw her standing beside Kylo out on the terrace. The wizard wasn’t even touching his wife, and yet the sight of them together, his tall frame beside her smaller one, made sense in a way that made Hux feel like the odd one out.

Forcing those unproductive emotions down, he called out as casually as he could manage, “Trying to seduce my wife, Ren?”

Rey was the one who responded, with a hint of humor in her voice. “If he were, Hux, he would be doing a much better job than you are right now.” She stretched out her hand out to Hux, and, recognizing this as a peace offering, he took it and kissed it. As he released her hand, he came to stand on the opposite side of her from Kylo, his shoulder nearly touching Rey’s.

None of them said anything more, but as they watched the half moon make its slow progress across the night sky, visiting different constellations and dimming the stars with its soft light, they seemed to come to a kind of silent truce. Hux knew that Rey would not stop working to help the refugees, although she would hopefully be more discreet about it in the future. And while he still didn’t like the risks her work created, he knew would have to tolerate it if he wanted to avoid an ongoing conflict with his strong-willed wife.

It was strange. A few months this would have felt like cowardly surrender, but now it felt natural for Rey’s opinion to matter to him; for him to take her ideas into account just as he did Kylo’s and Phasma’s; for her to have the power to change his mind. And perhaps she was right. Perhaps, despite its political liability, her program would indeed make the refugees less likely to stir up trouble in the long run. Who could say? Perhaps some of them might even become loyal citizens of the Empire.

Eventually, Hux put his arm around Rey’s shoulders, and he felt his hand bump up against the arm Kylo had draped across her from the other side. Somehow, the idea that they were both holding Rey tonight made him feel oddly content, the press of her warm body against his side providing a temporary balm to some of the fear and worry that haunted his days. This certainly wasn’t what he had imagined when he had decided to make this woman his Empress, but it felt right, and he wasn’t going to question it now.


	12. Chapter 12

As days slipped into weeks, Rey and Kylo found themselves frustrated time and time again by their inability to find any useful information in Snoke’s library. Every book that initially seemed promising ended up being too theoretical, or too vague, or had no information on magic as powerful as the spell Snoke had used.

But one afternoon, near the end of several hours of fruitless searching, Rey found herself oddly drawn to a book on one of the upper shelves. Initially, Kylo had dismissed it as too old to contain anything of use to them, but Rey had pushed him to look at it, and she could feel him breathe faster and heavier on her neck when they reached a page with an illustration that looked suspiciously like one of Snoke’s fireballs.

He read silently for several minutes.As she stared at the ancient script that was utterly meaningless to her and also somehow the most important thing she had ever touched, Rey held her breath.Finally, Kylo whispered, his voice almost inaudible, “This shouldn’t be possible.Snoke shouldn’t be able to use this magic.”

He moved a step away, his hands shaking slightly as he withdrew them from her temples. Perplexed, she turned to face him. “Why not?”

When her eyes met his, she thought she saw terror flash in them for an instant, before they shuttered again.“Because the magic required for this spell was sealed off hundreds of years ago,” he replied, his voice tight.

Rey looked at him closely, still trying to make sense of this. “Maybe he found a way around it?” she offered.

Kylo shrugged, but his hollow expression belied the casual gesture. “There’s only one way to find out.”

That way, as it turned out, involved commandeering a small boat, which they took out in Coruscant’s harbor the next morning.Rey had never been in a large body of water before, let alone boarded a boat, and she was almost overwhelmed by the sensory experience: tasting salt on the air, feeling the breeze on her cheeks, hearing gulls screech, and looking out at the endless expanse of ocean that stretched beyond the breakwaters at the mouth of the harbor.

And she wasn’t at all sure she liked the feeling of the boat rocking underneath her as Kylo rowed it into the middle of the harbor. Even though rationally she knew that he would probably keep them upright, with his magic if not with his boating skills, it was hard not to imagine that every stroke would send her tumbling into the blue depths of the harbor, where she would surely drown. Desert people were not supposed to skim over the water like seabirds.

Kylo smiled teasingly at her. “Feeling alright, minnow?”

She grimaced. “Perfectly fine. Just trying to decide whether I’d prefer to drown or be blasted away by this spell we’re about to do.”

He laughed at that, and the sound made her smile, however reluctantly. Then his gaze suddenly became more intense as he declared, “I won’t let you drown, Rey. Even if I can’t predict what the effects of the spell will be.”

She nodded, and he continued rowing until they reached the middle of the harbor, far from any buildings or people. None of the usual small fishing boats and larger trade vessels were making their way to or from the shipping channels, so Rey wondered whether they had been warned to stay away while the wizards were experimenting. At least the knowledge that, if they incinerated anyone, it would probably just be themselves, was slightly comforting.

Finally, Kylo allowed the oars to rest in the oarlocks and looked over at her, questioning. She nodded, and he grasped her hands, steadying her. Rey felt her stomach lurch as a series of waves rocked the boat, almost as if the ocean knew what the two wizards were about to try, and wanted to stop it before they could bring destruction down on the city.

No. That kind of thinking was not going to help them right now. Rey squeezed Kylo’s hands to reassure herself, then met his eyes again. It was now or never.

The night before, Kylo had read the words of the spell aloud to Rey in pieces until they both had the chant memorized. The spell was in an ancient dialect, and the words felt foreign and frightening on her tongue.

They began to speak them together now, joining their voices to give power to the spell. As they reached the final words of the chant, a fireball shot out from their clasped hands and flew several yards toward the open ocean before hitting the water and sizzling out of existence.

They looked at each other in silent wonder and apprehension. Kylo finally whispered, “I guess the spell works.”

Something turned in Rey’s stomach, and she looked uneasily toward where the fireball had dissolved. Kylo was many things, but he was not often wrong. If he said that the magic that had created this unnatural projectile had been sealed off hundreds of years ago, then she was willing to believe him. And that meant that something that shouldn’t have been loose in the world now was.

***

Over the next several days, Hux watched whenever he could from terraces and windows as Kylo and Rey maneuvered their little boat around the bay, hurling fireballs toward elaborate arrangements of buoys, learning by trial and error how to aim their own projectiles and defuse ones that turned around and flew toward them.

He found the way they worked in tandem, even when he could only see it from a distance, in miniature, to be mesmerizing. When one attempt failed, one of them would suggest another approach, and they would try again, sometimes with more success, sometimes not. It was obvious that they pushed and challenged and complemented one another to impressive effect. Hux was annoyed to find himself mildly jealous of this connection they shared, which he had no part in.

A week after their first experiment, Hux found himself presiding over another banquet, this one in honor of his birthday. He hadn’t liked the idea of spending time and energy planning a social event when there were more important things to be done - and he knew that forcing Rey to attend an opulent party would only remind her that many people in the city still weren’t getting enough to eat, despite her ongoing efforts.

However, the council had insisted that hosting the event would go a long way toward keeping the court calm and averting panic over the impending threat of invasion. And although Hux eventually relented, he still dreaded having to deal with smiling courtiers while he wondered which of them might have been responsible for the assassination attempt the previous month - and which ones might be actively plotting against him now.

At least Rey was by his side again, something he was finding increasingly desirable at events like these. As always, he was impressed by how natural she was at acting the part of Empress, as if she had been born royalty, rather than simply thrown into it.

But toward him she was still cold and aloof, as she had often been over the last month. Even after their partial reconciliation the night he had confronted her about her involvement with the D’Qaris, it seemed that she hadn’t completely forgiven him, or forgotten the way he had tried to stop her aid program. And Kylo had been distant too, so focused on their magical experiments that he had little time for Hux. As much as Hux would never admit that he needed anyone, the separation from both of them was becoming increasingly difficult for him to take.

There was a lull in the stream of sycophants coming to pay their insincere respects, and he had turned to see how Rey was doing when the sickly smell of too much perfume filled his nose and an ostentatiously gloved and ringed hand came into view. Hask.

He turned to his chief councilman, who performed a courtly bow. “Your Majesties,” he breathed in his unpleasantly nasal voice.

Hux nodded, trying his best to maintain the veneer of boredom he adopted whenever he was in Hask’s presence.

“Hask.” Rey did not apparently feel the same need to mask her contempt for the man. Hux envied her that a little, even as he recognized that his own efforts to maintain a civil relationship with Hask were useful, and probably ultimately necessary.

“Your Majesty,” Hask addressed Rey with a sneer, “It seems that you’ve made yourself quite the magician’s assistant to our Lord Ren.” There was something dangerous in his tone that Hux couldn’t quite place.

But from Rey’s expression, it was clear that she caught the insinuation, and was not at all happy about it. He was about to jump in and shoo Hask away when Rey shot him a look that made it clear that she wanted to deal with the slimy politician on her own. All the better.

“Indeed, Councilman,” she replied imperiously, her eyes boring into his, “I am always happy to assist Lord Ren in his efforts to keep the Empire safe.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Hask replied, his tone dark.

At that moment, Hux caught sight of Phasma and Irene walking up, arm in arm.

When Phasma attended court functions - which was rare - she usually eschewed dresses in favor of long, formal tunics and trousers, as she did now. It stirred up gossip, but everyone at court knew how much the Emperor favored Phasma, so no one dared to say anything to her face about the way she skirted convention.And Phasma had never cared much for gossip anyway.It was one of the things he liked about her.

Phasma was opening her mouth to tell Hux something when she noticed the councilman standing on the dais with them. Her eyes narrowed, and he could see Irene’s fingers tighten on Phasma’s arm as she frowned at her estranged husband.

“Lady Phasma. My dear.” Hask’s voice was flat as he bowed stiffly toward the two women.

“Lord Hask,” Phasma ground out, her voice tight. “What a surprise.” Neither woman made any move to bow or curtsy to Hask.

“Indeed.” The councilman’s biting tone made it clear that he had not missed the slight against him. “How interesting to find my wife attending a court banquet on someone else’s arm.”

“My lord,” Irene replied softly, but with a threat in her tone, “given that you have up to this point neglected your marital responsibilities, I see no reason to inform you of my activities and whereabouts.”

Hask glared at Irene with so much hatred that Hux actually worried for a moment that he might try to strike her. Not that he was concerned for Irene’s sake - the last time these two had clashed, Hask’s arm had been in a sling for at least a month. But the court, which was already simmering with tension, didn’t need any theatrics tonight.

Fortunately, Hask seemed to realize that he would get nothing out of this situation and turned away, leaving the four of them without even a cursory bow.

When he had disappeared into the crowd, Irene smiled tightly. “It’s always a pleasure to encounter my sweet husband at these court gatherings.”

Phasma laughed and whispered, loud enough for the three of them to hear, “I would offer to pummel him for you, but you seem to enjoy doing that yourself.”

Although they outwardly dismissed Hask as a pompous nuisance, Hux knew that all of them feared that Hask was a viper in their midst - docile until he decided to strike unexpectedly. And he worried that the councilman had something especially unpleasant in mind where Rey was concerned.

He looked back over at her, wondering how she had taken the encounter, but she had already turned away from him, and she didn’t meet his eyes again for the rest of the night. She clearly didn’t want to look at him, and part of him couldn’t blame her.

***

When Kylo finally got back to his bedroom after hours of guard duty at the banquet, his thoughts were focused entirely on sleep.His day had begun with knight training, which was growing increasingly stressful as he found himself wondering which of his lieutenants might try to land a fatal blow on him during their practice sparring.And as much as he knew that his time on the harbor with Rey was essential, both of them found themselves drained at the end of every long session.And finally, the exhausting work of keeping a constant eye on Hux and everyone around him at the banquet left him ready to collapse into bed.

But the moment his eyes became accustomed to the partly moonlit room and he saw the outline of someone reclining on his bed, all thoughts of sleep vanished.The sight of Hux lying there, in nothing but a loose shirt and trousers, staring at him with dark, heated eyes, sent a jolt of naked want through Kylo’s body, and he felt himself growing hard as he looked at his lover.

Kylo hadn’t intentionally been avoiding Hux for the last few weeks, he told himself - he was just busy preparing their magical defenses for Snoke’s next onslaught. Although he had to admit that it was also just easier not to deal with the jumble of feelings that had been uncertain between them since the night the three of them had stood on the terrace together.

But this seemed in a way like a gift, a peace offering, and Kylo was not going to turn it down. He stalked toward his Emperor, pulling off his formal tunic and boots as he did, and arriving at the bedside in shirtsleeves. He sat beside where Hux lay, and leaned down for a soft, tender kiss.

When he felt Hux’s lips on his, so much more pliant than usual, so much less confident, Kylo felt desire spike in him - not for their usual hard and fast fuck, but for something more. So when Hux began to kiss him more forcefully and tug at his shirt, Kylo pulled away. “We do this my way tonight, Hux,” he growled.

Hux froze for a second, studying Kylo with a perplexed expression. When they coupled, Hux was always the one in charge, and it was always brutal and unforgiving. What Kylo was asking for now was much more personal and intimate, and both of them knew it. Finally, he nodded, and Kylo leaned down to kiss Hux again, his tongue running softly across the redhead’s lips until he opened them with a sigh. Kylo felt his heart begin to pound faster when he realized that Hux was really trusting him enough to allow him this.

He peeled off his shirt, and Hux did the same with his as they lay down side-by-side, kissing long and slow and running their hands over each others’ bare torsos, just enjoying the feeling of skin on skin. They never just kissed like this, and Kylo found that he very much enjoyed the feeling of having the Emperor in his arms, without clear intent or desperate need.

When he stopped kissing Hux for long enough to look down at their bodies, Kylo found he loved the sight of his large hands on Hux’s pale, lightly freckled skin, his fingers teasing Hux’s lovely, pink nipples. Hux was nearly as tall as he was, and he cut a commanding figure on a horse or in his ceremonial robes, but like this, Kylo was always amazed by how much smaller and thinner he was. How delicate he looked, although anyone who mistook that delicacy for weakness would regret it.

Eventually, both of them needed more. When Kylo reached down to palm Hux over his pants and Hux moaned his name desperately, he kissed the redhead harder and slipped his hand down the front of his trousers to tangle in his red curls and gently cup his balls.

“Fuck, Ren,” Hux breathed, “I missed this.”

Kylo grinned against Hux’s mouth. For Hux to admit something like that, the feeling must be strong. “I missed you too, Hux,” he replied teasingly, before dipping down to plant another soft kiss on those terribly inviting lips.

When they were both naked and Hux was lying on his back, spread and wet for him, Kylo looked down at his Emperor again, feeling a tug at his heart at the knowledge that this powerful man trusted him, allowed himself to be vulnerable only in his First Knight’s presence. He knew that telling Hux that he loved him would only make the man uncomfortable, but he tried to show it in his soft smile before he pressed into Hux’s tight ass.

Usually at this point, the room would be filled with cries of “faster” and “harder” and “more” and “fuck yes” but tonight they were both quiet, their heavy breathing and soft moans the only sounds. Kylo nuzzled against Hux’s neck as he thrust into him, slower than he had ever gone before, and yet somehow, each stroke felt like a thread that was tying them closer together, sending them further into love, even if neither of them would say it out loud.

Kylo stroked Hux’s cock as his thrusts became faster and more desperate, and when they finally came together, instead of falling apart as they usually did, Kylo ignored the sticky mess and gathered Hux in his arms, tuckingthe smaller man’shead under his chin.

As they lay there silently, Kylo found his thoughts wandering to Rey, and how her growing importance in their lives both complicated and enriched his relationship with Hux.

Then he thought about how Rey still didn’t really trust Hux.  Despite his tacit agreement to allow her aid projects to run without his interference,it seemed that she hadn’t quite forgiven him for losing his temper a few weeks before.

Fully prepared for some resistance, he ventured, “You should spend some time with Rey. Make an effort to show her she can trust you.”

Hux pulled away slightly to look up at Kylo, his face unreadable. “Ren,” he replied softly and with a hint a humor, “are you really giving me marriage advice after you just fucked me? That seems bizarre even for you.”

“When else would you actually listen to me?” Kylo grunted.

Hux examined Kylo’s face for a long moment, then breathed out, “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Hux’s voice held no accusation, just curiosity, so Kylo replied softly, “Can you blame me if I am?” He cupped Hux’s face in his hands and kissed him gently, his tongue gliding over Hux’s lower lip teasingly. “Even so, that doesn’t mean I want you any less.”

Hux inhaled sharply, and Kylo didn’t give him the chance to reply before he tightened his grip on Hux’s chin and kissed him harder. Perhaps they would deal with their feelings toward Rey at some later point, but tonight they had done enough talking.

***

The piebald - Artoo, Hux had told her his name was - whinnied and flicked his mane over his shoulder as Rey pulled him up short behind Hux’s ginger mare, Millicent.

She tasted the salt on the breeze and enjoyed the feel of it gently tousling her hair. At the palace, the buildings and trees mostly blocked the air currents, but now that they were right on the coast, a few miles away from the city, the winds whipped through unhindered, driving away some of the summer heat. It felt wild, free - and natural, unlike the hours she spent with Kylo in that cursed rowboat. Here, on dry land, in this open country, was where she was meant to be.

Ahead of her, Hux had dismounted and was leading his mount down to a stream at the bottom of the slope. Rey did the same, taking care to keep Artoo from running ahead and biting the other horse. She had only ridden him for the first time this morning, and it was already clear this little horse had an attitude. But she much preferred him to the tame horses she had ridden in processions and for her nightly excursions. He had fire and spirit. He was a good fit for her. Hux had chosen well, she was forced to admit.

When the horses were watered and the saddlebags unpacked, Rey followed Hux down to a large rock right where the waves crashed into the shore. He set out a picnic lunch from their packs, and motioned for Rey to sit beside him. They ate in silence for a while, and Rey was grateful that Hux had brought them food that was delicious - sharp cheese, warm bread, and fresh fruit - without being too opulent.

“Did you come here when you were growing up?” Rey finally asked after they had finished eating and were just sitting together, looking out at the ocean. Hux hadn’t explained why he had suddenly invited her to ride down the coast with him, and she still wasn’t entirely certain what to make of the whole situation.

“Actually, sometimes I would come here with my mother.”

Rey turned to look at him in surprise. He had never spoken of his mother before. “Were you close to her?”

He nodded. “She was really my only friend at the palace. I was devastated when she died.”

Hux took her hand, and she didn’t shake him off. He had taken off his gloves when they had sat down for lunch, and his bare hand was pleasantly warm and firm. “How old were you?” she asked quietly, wondering how much Hux would be willing to open up to her about his past.

“Ten,” he replied, and when she looked over at him, his face was impassive. “She died in childbirth.”

She squeezed his hand gently, and he continued, “My mother was the Emperor’s youngest wife. He married her because his campaigns were draining the treasury and her father was willing to offer an immense dowry in exchange for his daughter becoming royalty. But my father had no interest in her, or in me, after I was born.”

“But you were his heir,” Rey said uncertainly.

Hux shook his head, still gazing into the middle distance, as if he barely registered her presence as he wandered through these memories of his childhood. “He thought his favorite wife would give him an heir someday and replace me. But the children she bore were all stillborn or died as infants.” His voice became firm. “I was the only one who survived.”

“What was she like?”

He finally looked over at her then, and slid his arm around her shoulders so she was leaning back against his chest. It was an odd feeling, allowing Hux to touch her in such an intimate way, but she decided that if he was willing to trust her with the story of his family, then she could trust him a little, too.

“Very different from my father.” He was silent for a long moment, before he asked abruptly, “How did you become chieftain of the Alderaan?”

Rey smiled at the sudden question, and the memory, which was the start of the happiest two years of her life. It was odd, she thought, that this man had stolen them from her, and yet here she was, reclining in his arms like a besotted young shepherdess. Strangely, even at that thought, she felt no desire to move away from him.

“It was two years ago. I was living alone in a cave on the edge of the Wasteland, surviving on whatever I could scavenge or kill.” She watched the waves lap at the rock as she spoke, and Hux started lightly carding his fingers through her hair. She sighed against him - his hand felt nice on her scalp.

Hux kissed her temple softly. “Why didn’t you look for someone to take you in? Or go into one of the towns?”

Rey shuddered slightly. “The desert is a harsh place. There’s no way of knowing whether someone who offers you help will actually help you, or will sell you into slavery. It’s no different in the towns. So I kept to myself. Besides,” she added, “my parents had left me in that cave when I was young, and I was afraid that, if I left, they wouldn’t know where to find me.”

Hux said nothing in reply, but he took her other hand in his.

She continued, “One day I was out hunting, and I saw a group of four riders on the road. Because I was at the top of a rise, I could see a raiding party following close behind. Usually I didn’t get involved in other people’s fights. It wasn’t my business, and there wasn’t much good likely to come of it. But that day, something made me want to help, so I rode down to warn them. I had turned to leave, when I saw that one of the raiding party’s archers was aiming at the Chief. I took the archer down, and before I knew it, I was in the middle of the battle, fighting alongside these strangers.”

Rey felt Hux chuckle behind her. “You just happened to save two different people’s lives under improbable circumstances and it didn’t occur to you that you might have magical abilities?”

Rey slapped lightly at his hand on her shoulder. “I have quick reflexes!” she protested, laughing.

Hux pulled her closer to him, and she suddenly shivered at his touch. He murmured into her ear, “Then what happened?”  
She fought to ignore the strange sensations that Hux’s touch was creating in her and continued, her voice a little stiff, “It’s tribal law that anyone who defeats the chieftain in combat or saves her life becomes the new chief. So I didn’t have a choice, but once I got there, I realized that Alderaan was where I was meant to be. They were the family I never had as a child.”

Hux sighed. “The family I took you away from.” Rey didn’t respond - there was nothing to say to that - and Hux was silent for a long moment. Then he ran a hand down her arm, making her skin prickle in its wake. “Will you ever forgive me for that, Rey?”

“I don’t know.” Then, after another long pause, she asked, “Hux?”

“Hm?” His hand stopped moving.

“Why did you take me out here today?” she asked.

“Can’t a man treat his wife to a picnic without his motives being questioned?”

Rey chuckled. “Not if it’s you. You're always plotting something.”

Hux pulled her close to him and kissed the top of her head lightly. “That’s probably true.”

“You want me to like you, don’t you?” Rey pulled far enough away that she could see his face, and his eyes burned into hers.

As he closed the distance between them, Hux murmured, “Is it working?” Then he touched his lips to hers - their first real kiss since their wedding - and her heart started pounding wildly. Blindly, she moved her hand up to his cheek as he reached for the back of her neck, and deepened the kiss.

But he pulled away too soon, and as he did, his face rapidly closed off, leaving Rey with the impression that he thought he had miscalculated. He had gotten carried away, and now he regretted it. That thought filled her with shame - after all, she was the one who had avoided initiating any physical contact until now, and here she was, wishing he hadn't stopped kissing her.

Stiffly, Hux put his gloves back on, not looking at her even as she watched him with disappointment rising in her chest. He stood and held his hand out to her, and she was grateful to find that the leather dulled the sensation of touching him. The last thing she needed now was another jolt from direct contact with him.

After they had packed up the horses, he took her gloved hand in his and said with a faint smile, “Thank you for agreeing to come out here with me today.” He pressed her knuckles to his lips and she shuddered at the gesture, which was simultaneously courtly and unbearably intimate. Then the moment passed, and he turned away to mount up.

The ride back to the palace passed in silence, with Rey stealing glances over at Hux and trying to sort through her muddled emotions. He seemed oddly cold, as if he had opened some secret part of himself to her when he held her in his arms, only to shut it again when he decided that he had gone too far. She was surprised to find herself hoping he might open it up to her again soon.

But the calm quiet that had fallen over them during their ride was shattered the moment they saw Kylo’s tall, dark figure standing by the palace’s southern gates. His face was darker and more fearful than Rey had seen him at any point since the day they had found the spellbook in Snoke’s study. Something was very wrong.

Hux had already dismounted and run up to Kylo - which in itself was disconcerting - and Rey was handing Artoo’s reins to a stable boy when she saw Kylo grab Hux’s arm and say, his expression fierce, “I felt him, Hux. Snoke’s on his way to Corellia with a large fleet, and we need to get there before he does.”


	13. Chapter 13

Several council members had protested Hux’s decision to take the Empress with him when he sailed up the coast to Corellia. Their view seemed to be that the Empress belonged in the palace, not on a naval campaign. And Hask, of course, was the most vocal of the bunch, insinuating that the Empress should be kept away from military matters until her loyalty to the Empire had been proven.

But Hux had stood firm. He knew that her presence on the ship, at Kylo’s side, would be central to the success of the mission. So, since he had no interest in telling the council about her magical abilities, he had played up his childish, demanding persona and insisted that he couldn’t be parted from his Empress for any length of time. The rest of the council relented at that, and although Hask was clearly still suspicious, he didn’t protest further.

At first, Rey had seemed warily excited, standing on deck and watching the palace recede from view, and she hadn’t even protested when he placed a hand on the small of her back. But as soon as his flagship, in convoy with most of the Imperial navy, left the safety of the harbor and reached the constant roll of waves on the open ocean, he found himself holding Rey’s head as she heaved over the railing of the vessel.

Although Hux and Kylo both sailed frequently enough that seasickness usually didn’t bother them, the Emperor sympathetically recalled his first voyage, when rough seas had sent him to the railing for almost a whole day. He also recalled his father’s contemptuous expression before he went below, leaving his teenaged son and heir to hurl his guts out in full view of the ship’s crew. The humiliation had been savage, until the ship’s first mate had taken pity on him and stood with him until the worst of the sickness had passed. So the least he could do for his wife now was to stay by her side.

There was something strangely touching about finding Rey in such a vulnerable state that she would allow him to care for her in this small way. As he stroked her neck and back as soothingly as he could, he tried not to think about how soft her hair felt, or how well she fit in his arms. Those were thoughts for a time when she wasn’t throwing up what seemed like everything she had ever eaten.

Kylo emerged from where he had been studying battle plans belowdecks, looking sympathetically at Rey. “How’s she doing?”

Hux sighed as Rey fell into another round of vomiting. “Not so well. Anything you can do for her?”

Kylo shook his head. “If there was, I would have used it on myself on my first few voyages.”

The two men stood silently at the railing for a long time, keeping Rey company as she slowly got used to the roll of the waves, and started heaving less and less. Finally, when it had been almost half an hour since she had had to lean over the railing, Hux picked her up in his arms, ignoring her small mewl of protest, and carried her down to their cabin to clean her up.

Despite the fact that this was the Imperial flagship, Hux hadn’t requested any luxuries for himself, so his cabin was just as cramped as everyone else’s. He began to regret that decision when he laid Rey on the lower bunk and there was barely enough space for him to sit beside her without either falling off or cracking his head on the upper bunk.

But he would make do. He propped her up in his arms and offered her a glass of cool water from the ship’s stores, which she accepted gratefully. Then he took a wet cloth and gently wiped her face.

“You don’t have to do this,” she complained softly, even as she snuggled closer to him.

“Of course I do,” he replied, smiling at the feeling of holding her. “You’re my wife. I vowed to take care of you, and that’s what I intend to do.” He stroked her hair, his other hand rubbing her back tenderly. “Just like you vowed to take care of me.”

She sighed, and he could barely hear her reply. “But you don’t even like me,” she protested, and Hux felt something in him break at her words. Was that really what she thought?

But he couldn’t bring himself to deny them, either. He hadn’t married her because he liked her - that much was certainly true - and his behavior toward her up to this point hadn’t done much to dispel the notion that she was just a pawn in some game he was playing. And wasn’t she? So he said nothing, instead pulling her closer and hoping that his touch would tell her what he couldn’t say out loud.

Gradually, he felt her body grow limp in his arms. When her soft, even breathing told him she was finally asleep, he reluctantly laid her back down in the bunk and rose to search for Kylo.

Hux found his First Knight near the bow of the ship, watching the horizon as if he could see something there. Hux came up behind Kylo and laid a hand on his shoulder, asking, “What is it?”

“Nothing. Which worries me. I felt those ships coming on Corellia fast, and now I’ve lost them. It’s as if they disappeared.”

The fact that Kylo was unsettled by what he was sensing concerned Hux. The man seldom admitted that he was afraid, but it seemed that his former master terrified him. And the fact remained that they still had no idea where the wizard’s ships had come from - where they were built and harbored, what kind of people piloted them. Everything about Snoke was shrouded in mystery, which made fighting him all the more difficult.

But this was all part of Snoke’s scare tactics. So, shoving away the fear that was building up inside him, Hux declared, “Snoke is just playing tricks on us.”

“Undoubtedly,” Kylo replied, still not looking at his Emperor. “He wants us to know he’s coming. And whatever he has planned, I’m sure we won’t like it.”

Hux squeezed Kylo’s shoulder, trying to reassure him. “He doesn’t know we can fight back against his new weapon.”

Kylo shrugged. “Maybe not. I suppose we’ll see once we get to Corellia. But I never expect a victory with Snoke.”

***

They reached the city at dawn on the third day of their voyage, and Hux was relieved to see that there was no sign of the enemy so far. Corellia had weak defenses, which was why Hux had wanted to take D’Qar, to have a stronghold on this section of the coast. With the failure of that campaign, everything to the north of Coruscant was painfully vulnerable.

The city leaders had been warned of an impending naval attack, and as the fleet approached, Hux could see men stationed on the walls facing them. But as the convoy spread itself out in defense of the harbor, Hux couldn’t help but look with dismay at the thin walls surrounding the city. It wouldn’t take many of Snoke’s fireballs to shatter them.

The day passed in breathless anticipation, with every lookout squinting at the horizon, searching for any sign of Snoke’s fleet. Kylo and Rey spent the day belowdecks, practicing the magic they would use, once their enemies arrived. Hux used the communication system Kylo had set up to keep track of the other ships in the fleet, make sure the city had all of its fighters armed and ready, and to check on the progress of the army, which Phasma was leading.

Hux knew that the army wouldn’t be much help against Snoke’s fleet, but he was still relieved when Phasma contacted him to say that her advance guard had arrived, and the rest of the foot soldiers would be at the city gates by sundown. At least now they knew that if this turned out to be another disaster, like D’Qar, there would be troops to protect their backs as they retreated. Hux shoved that grim thought from his mind.

Finally, at dusk, just as the sun was beginning to skim the horizon, turning the water brilliant shades of oranges and purples, Rey and Kylo emerged from below, their faces grim. A few minutes later, black sails started to appear, silhouetted against the fading light of the sunset.

Hux tried to fight down the fear that seized him at the sight. Tonight would determine whether Kylo and Rey had prepared for this fight adequately. And if they hadn’t, then Hux would do everything he could to get as many people as possible to safety. He ignored the nagging thought that, if they couldn’t beat Snoke tonight, they would be defenseless, even if they did manage to flee back to Coruscant.

The marines took their places on the deck, ready to board any enemy vessel they might come alongside, as sailors prepared to maneuver the ship so its spurs could deal damage to a hull it came into contact with. It felt as if everyone on the ship was holding their breath as the sun sank lower, as darkness descended on the decks of each ship in the Imperial fleet, as the black sails drew nearer.

Holding hands, Kylo and Rey took up their places at the railing.

This was the moment in battles that always made Hux restless. Once he had taken the throne, his advisors had discouraged him from fighting on the front lines himself. The Emperor was supposed to stand back and let other people do the fighting for him.

But he couldn’t just wait belowdecks for other people to decide this battle. He had to act. So he tightened his hand on his sword hilt and took a place alongside the marines. That earned him some odd looks, although no one would dare to question the Emperor in this. Kylo glared at him from further down the railing, but he ignored his First Knight. If his fate was to be decided tonight, then he would fight for it at his men’s sides.

Hux estimated that it was almost an hour before the ships came into firing range. The sun had completely disappeared, and none of Hux’s ships had lit any lanterns in what was probably a futile gesture to keep from giving away their locations to the enemy.

Then, as if out of nowhere, a fireball ignited and came flying toward the fleet, illuminating the entire scene in brilliant orange light. He felt the whole crew holding their breaths as Kylo and Rey chanted together. Then, the fireball sizzled out of existence and another went flying from their ship toward the enemy.

And that was when Rey collapsed to the deck. Hux didn’t stop to think before he ran over to her side.

***

Rey’s head had been pounding steadily all day, and the pain only seemed to get worse as evening came on and Snoke’s ships began to emerge into view. Looking over at Kylo confirmed that he was experiencing the same thing.

Kylo had warned her that Snoke had this effect on people who were sensitive to magic. He was able to overwhelm their senses with his magic and render them useless. In order to remain safe from Snoke’s magic, it was essential to stay grounded in your physical surroundings and ignore the throbbing pain that threatened to knock a magic user unconscious.

She was succeeding, for the most part, until the moment they met Snoke’s first fireball and sent back an answering projectile. In her relief at surviving their first exchange, Rey let down her guard and suddenly the pounding became unbearable, forcing her to her knees and away from Kylo’s steady hands.

The first thing she felt over the roaring pain were a pair of warm hands on her waist, hauling her to her feet and holding her against a strong chest. Then she felt Kylo take her hands again, and finally opened her eyes to see that his mouth was moving. He was trying to tell her something.

“…on Hux,” he was saying, “Focus on Hux, Rey. Let him ground you. Stay with us.”

She nodded. As she returned to the present, the pain receded to a dull throbbing at her forehead and temples. But she was grateful that Hux didn’t loosen his grip at all. Somehow, the idea that he would stay with them as they fought was comforting.

They had little time to think, because now a volley of fireballs - five in all - was headed toward the fleet. She closed her eyes, focusing on Kylo’s hands, and chanted the words they had taught themselves. The fireballs turned in midair to go hurtling toward Snoke’s fleet, where they winked out of existence.

It went on like this for what felt like hours. They managed to defuse or turn aside all of the fireballs Snoke created, and none of theirs ever landed a hit. And every use of magic drained her, made her feel more exhausted and spent, as she found herself exerting more and more effort just to stay upright and keep her focus on their work. Hux never moved, his arms holding her in place, and she was immensely grateful for his presence. She couldn’t allow the doubt to distract her, but in the back of her mind lurked the fear that Snoke would outlast their abilities and destroy them the moment their reserves of magic were empty.

Rey didn’t know whether it was she or Kylo who lost focus, or perhaps Snoke simply managed to cast a particularly strong spell, but suddenly ten fireballs were hurtling toward Corellia, and Rey felt a bolt of terror shoot through her. Even as they chanted counter-spells, there was no way they could turn aside all of these at once.

One fireball hit an Imperial warship, immediately igniting its timbers and sending sailors jumping into the water. Rey cringed at the sight, knowing that many of the enlisted men in the navy, and even some of the officers, couldn’t swim. But she also knew that she and Kylo couldn’t expend any of their magic on helping those men. They needed to focus on the fight with Snoke.

Another fireball slammed into Corellia’s ramparts and an entire section went up in flames. Rey could hear screams from up on the walls, and could only hope that they had enough firefighters on the walls to put the blaze out and bring people to safety.

But what was much more frightening was that now, as Rey looked back at Kylo, he looked lost, his eyes unfocused, shifting back and forth between the burning ship and the burning city. Snoke was getting to him.

Rey squeezed his hands, and turned back toward Hux. “Kylo needs you, Hux. I’ll be fine for a while.”

Without hesitation, Hux moved around to Kylo and placed his hands on either side of the larger man’s head, steadying him as Rey kept a firm grip on Kylo’s hands. Feeling rage course through her at the loss of life Snoke had already caused, at the innocent people who were now at this cruel man’s mercy, Rey began to chant. She felt a tiny blossom of relief when she heard Kylo’s voice hesitantly join with hers, and as they spoke the words of the spell, her anger gave form to three of the largest fireballs they had yet launched. One of these quickly disintegrated, but the other two careened into one of the enemy ships.

This was their first hit of the night, and she wasn’t going to waste it. Squeezing Kylo’s hands again to signal another attack, they spoke the words again, sending more fireballs hurtling toward Snoke’s fleet. Another two of these hit, and in the light of three burning ships, she could see the rest of the wizard’s armada begin to turn in retreat.

No one on the Imperial ships even dared to breathe, let alone cheer.

As Snoke’s remaining ships disappeared from the eerie circles of orange light created by the ships that still burned in front of them, Rey felt Kylo’s hands sag in hers. Somehow anticipating what they needed, Hux moved between them to put an arm around each of them and support them both. Rey was grateful for his touch - she found that her legs were now barely able to hold her up.

Beside her, Rey could feel Hux ask quietly, “Is he gone?”

Kylo sighed and responded, “I can’t feel them any more. Let’s stay vigilant for a while longer, but I think we’ve discouraged him for now.”

He looked at Rey, and she nodded. As she felt around them with her magic, she touched nothing but burning shells of ships, their crews either drowned or burned or picked up by other ships in the fleet. There were no more sounds coming from the city walls, either, although a section of them still burned fiercely.

So they had won - for tonight. But somehow, it didn’t feel like much of a victory.

***

Even in the shade, even at mid-morning, Corellia’s main square was already blisteringly hot. Kylo didn’t envy Hux and Rey, who were standing on a platform above the gathered crowd, while he and Phasma waited behind them under one of the square’s few trees, scanning the area for threats.

Hux spoke eloquently, as always, thanking the people of Corellia for their courage and for the brave sacrifices of those who had died on the walls and on the ships last night. But the speech rang oddly hollow, because even as Hux painted last night as a triumph for the Empire, the words he didn’t say hung in the air. Everyone knew that this hadn’t been a real victory. Their enemy had only retreated, and would certainly come back and fight another day. Hux also never referred to Snoke by name, only as “the enemy,” and Kylo knew that at least some in the audience must be speculating about who had attacked the Empire.

Unexpectedly, Phasma laid a hand on Kylo’s shoulder and leaned down to say in his ear, “I think I know where those ships come from.”

Kylo turned to look at her intently.

Her voice was pitched low, so no one would overhear, but her words were clear. “We would sometimes trade with cities to the south of us, on the coast, outside the reach of the Empire.” Parnassos, Phasma’s homeland, was on the Empire’s far southern border, so it would make sense that Phasma knew about lands that weren’t on the Empire’s maps. “And the people in those cities,” she continued, “sometimes told stories of a people who would come raiding - not often, once every few years - a people who sailed ships with black sails and whose shamans used powerful magic. A people who could not be defeated.

“Usually the cities would surrender, and the raiders would be relatively merciful, carrying away everything of value but refraining from much violence. But when they resisted…” She trailed off and looked away. “Well, there were a few ruins on the coast that we never visited. People said they were cursed, the spirits of the dead still haunting them, even years later.”

Kylo shivered. “It sounds like Snoke has found some allies.”

Phasma nodded mutely, and Kylo turned back to the Emperor and Empress, his mind running over what Phasma had just told him.

If she was right, then this really was nothing but a brief reprieve. Snoke would come back, probably with more ships, with more powerful magic, and they would be defenseless. He needed to find a way to defeat his old master, not just stave him off for a little while.

His thoughts wandered back to D’Qar. Kylo knew that he should have visited the burned-out husk of the city of D’Qar as soon as Snoke’s forces had cleared out. Snoke was careful, but any hint he might have left about his intentions would be a boon to them at this point.

But Kylo hadn’t gone. He had stayed in Coruscant. If he was being honest with himself, he was afraid. He didn’t want to look at the evidence of Snoke’s destructive path one more time and be reminded of what he would do to those Kylo was close to if he regained control of the capital city.

Now, however, he had no more excuses. D’Qar was less than a day’s ride up the coast from Corellia, and if there was any chance that he might find something of use there, it was his responsibility to go.

So when Hux and Rey finally climbed down from the stage, arm-in-arm, their faces flushed and dripping with sweat, Kylo fell into step with them, deciding that he would inform his Emperor of his intentions, and then leave immediately.

“Hux,” he ground out, as he walked beside the Emperor toward the city’s officer barracks, “I’m going to see if Snoke left anything of use to us in D’Qar.”

They were walking under the overhanging roof of a building, which provided a modicum of shade, when Hux stopped and turned to look at Kylo, examining him closely. On his other side, Rey peered at him as well.

Hux nodded slowly, and looked over at Rey. “Alright. Give us an hour and we should be ready to go. We’ll send Phasma and the army back to Coruscant ahead of us.”

Kylo gaped at Hux, horrified. The Emperor knew, of course, about what Snoke did with his victims, and he had shown Rey brief flashes of it in a vision, but the idea of them seeing the physical proof of one of Snoke’s rituals was somehow much worse. They knew that Kylo had been part of this, as Snoke’s apprentice, and he couldn’t help thinking: if they saw what Snoke had left behind for them in D’Qar, would they ever be able to see him as anything but a monster?

So he infused as much authority as he dared into his voice, telling Hux, “No. Take Rey back to the capital. You can ride with Phasma. She’ll keep you safe. I’ll join you when I’m finished.”

Hux said nothing, but simply laid a hand on Kylo’s arm, making him inhale sharply at the touch.

Rey moved around to his other side and gently squeezed his hand, then looked back over at Hux. “If your original goal in D’Qar was to shore up our defenses against Snoke,” she commented, “then I think it’s worth seeing whether anything can be salvaged from the ruins.”

Hux nodded, his eyes still fixed on Kylo’s. “We’re coming, Ren,” he said softly, “it’s not a discussion.”

***

The ride down the coast was pleasant, with the sea breezes helping to cool them off, even as the sun climbed higher and the air grew thicker. Artoo was eager under Rey’s knees, often running ahead of the other horses and making her laugh with the joy of being on his back. As her mount pranced in the sunlight, she was gratified to look back and see affectionate smiles on both Hux and Kylo’s faces.

Especially because when she wasn’t smiling at them, Kylo and Hux wore grim expressions, both of them clearly worried about what they would find when they arrived at D’Qar. Rey was glad that Hux had insisted on accompanying Kylo. At least this way, their First Knight wouldn’t be alone when he sifted through whatever Snoke had left behind for them.

Rey had a vague idea of what to expect. It had been difficult to get a precise figure of how many people hadn’t managed to evacuate, but she knew that many refugees had reported missing family and friends - which meant that whatever they found at D’Qar, it wouldn’t be pretty.

They had turned slightly inland and crested the top of a small hill when Artoo suddenly pulled up short, forcing Kylo and Hux’s horses to back up several steps to avoid a collision. Milly whinnied anxiously, and Vader snorted in reply, while Artoo refused to move another step, as much as Rey tried to encourage him.

That was when Rey caught a whiff of burning and realized the horses must be reacting to the smell. They knew that something was terribly wrong up ahead, and they would go no further.

Rey couldn’t blame them. When she raised her eyes to look ahead at the coastline, her breath caught at what she saw. Looming before them, on an escarpment right above the pounding surf, stood what must have once been an impressive city. But it was clearly a ruin now. Its immense walls were charred and crumbling, and there were none of the sights and sounds that one would expect from a busy city - animals being taken to market, carts going to and from its main gates, trading vessels entering its harbor. The city was dead now, a burned-out hulk. And around it, as if oblivious to the suffering that must have taken place there just a few short months ago, the sky still shone a brilliant blue, the fields still a rich green as they rolled slowly into sand and the impassive ocean.

All of it combined to drill into her mind a constant refrain: get away get away get away come no closer get away get away.

And Rey didn’t even want to think about what the odor coming from the city must be. She reached into her saddlebag for a spare piece of cloth to hold against her nose and mouth and block as much of it as she could.

Kylo had already dismounted, his helmet’s visor lowered to keep out the smell. “The horses won’t go closer. Let’s get them watered, and then go the rest of the way on foot.”

Hux alighted beside Kylo, a cloth held over his nose and mouth as well. They led the horses down to a stream on the side of the hill, then Kylo turned back at Hux and Rey. “You don’t need to accompany me for the rest of this,” he murmured. “You’ve done enough, just coming this far.”

Rey grabbed his hand, and looked over at Hux, who had done the same on his other side. “We’re coming with you, Kylo,” she said, with more confidence than she felt.

He sighed in response, before leading the way down the hill.

It wasn’t long before they reached the once-imposing city gates, now blackened and hanging off their hinges. They all hesitated before stepping through the gaps in the wood, their hands still tightly clasped, squeezing each other for reassurance.

It was eerie, walking along what must have once been the city’s main processional road and seeing the streets completely empty. No building here had been left standing. There weren’t even any human or animal remains - just piles of burnt wood here and there.

For a moment, she allowed herself a faint hope. Perhaps those people had gotten out, after all. Perhaps they just hadn’t found their relatives yet.

But Kylo’s grim expression answered those questions for Rey. He knew what Snoke was capable of, and she could tell without asking him that he was certain no one had survived the onslaught.

When they turned a corner and entered the city’s main square, Rey finally identified the smell that had frightened the horses, miles away from the city. It was burnt and rotten flesh, and here it was almost overwhelming. She fought the urge to throw up her breakfast, or turn tail and run, and instead straightened her back. They were here to support Kylo, and they would stay with him, no matter what horrors they encountered.

But Kylo dropped Rey’s hand and turned toward her. “I think you two have come far enough. You can see for yourself there’s nothing here to salvage. Go back to the horses and wait for me there.”

Rey opened her mouth to protest, but Hux was already grabbing her hand and leading her away. “Let’s give him this,” Hux murmured in her ear, before they moved back in the direction they had come. When she shot one last glance over her shoulder, Kylo was striding forward, his hands clenched in fists at his sides.

As they walked back through the city’s empty streets, Rey found herself drawing closer to Hux, seeking some reassurance in the hand that was holding hers. Finally, he put an arm around her shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and she realized he needed the same comfort she did. They didn’t speak, even after they had passed out of the city walls and made their way back to where the horses were tied up.

When they had set the horses loose to graze, Rey went to sit by the stream, hoping to calm some of her raging emotions with the meditation exercises Kylo had taught her. But it was difficult to keep her mind focused on her breath when it kept wandering back to the ruins at her back.

She was grateful when she felt Hux sit down beside her and silently grasp her hand, and she used his touch to ground herself, to keep her from spiraling into the cold fear that threatened whenever her thoughts strayed to Kylo, alone in a place haunted by people he hadn’t been able to save.

The sun was beginning to sink when she felt Kylo approaching them. She stood, and when the large knight came close enough, she pulled him close to her, feeling Hux doing the same thing from Kylo’s other side. Their official designations didn’t matter - they all needed each others’ touch right now.

Kylo’s voice was flat when he finally pulled away and muttered, his voice hollow, “I found nothing of use. Let’s get farther from here before we camp for the night.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to heat up...slowly...

The sun was still high in the western sky when they rode through the palace gates, and Rey was desperately looking forward to soaking in the bath after more than a week on ship and on horseback.

But the universe had other plans, it seemed. Rey had barely dismounted and left Artoo to be tended by one of the stable boys - another palace routine she was slowly getting accustomed to - when a familiar voice yelled her name. As she turned, thick arms enveloped her in a horse-scented hug.

“Poe?” Rey managed to squeak out, “What are you doing here?”

When she pulled back to look at him, his expression told her half of what she needed to know - something terrible had happened. “Rey-” he began, then cut himself off to look behind her, his face hardening as Rey felt a firm hand rest on her shoulder.

She knew without looking that Hux had come up behind her, and while part of her was grateful for his presence, another part was annoyed at his need to assert dominance in this situation. This was about Rey and her people, not about Hux’s constant need for control. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kylo step forward, too, and Rey decided she needed to move Poe away from them in order to prevent a fight from breaking out.

Shooting a dark look over at Kylo and pointedly removing Hux’s hand from her shoulder, Rey put her hand on Poe’s arm and led him a few paces away from her husband and his First Knight. Neither of them moved to follow her. She took a breath and then sank back into the role she hadn’t played since she had been stolen away from her people - the role of chief.

“Poe, what happened?”Her voice came out harsher and more commanding than she had intended.

Poe wasn’t looking at her.His gaze was completely focused on Hux, and her second-in-command was nearly growling with rage. “The garrison that son-of-a-“ he cut himself off, looking quickly at her before returning his gaze to the object of his fury, “that your husband forced on us - they attacked our people, Rey.” With those last words, he looked straight at her, and the combination of anger and fear and pleading in his eyes took her breath away.

She forced her body to remain still, even as she fought the impulse to break down. She needed to stay calm, to find out what had happened, to decide on a rational plan of action. She couldn’t allow herself to surrender to the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. “How many casualties?” she finally managed to ask.

Poe looked away. “Five dead. Several more injured, some badly.”

Rey fought down the lump that threatened to close up her throat. She didn’t want to ask Poe who those five had been, although she would know them, of course - she knew everyone. She had to assume that if it had been Finn or Rose or Leia, he would have said. It was odd - she had been surrounded by death and destruction at Corellia and at D’Qar, and had remained calm, but now that it was her people, it was so much worse.

Pushing those thoughts away, Rey returned to what she needed to do - find out what happened, decide on a plan of action. “What’s the current status?”

“Finn and Rose and I managed to hold them off for long enough for Leia to get everyone to the caves.  They’ve got enough supplies they can hold out there for another week at least, but they’ll need reinforcements if they’re going to get free.And the flocks scattered during the attack, and there’s no telling how many we’ll be able to recover.”

As she listened to Poe, the panic she felt at learning about the attack on her people was slowly being drowned out by the bitter sting of betrayal. These were the men that Hux had stationed among her people, and they had attacked her friends. Her family. The longer Poe spoke, the more suspicion crept into her mind. Had Hux known about this? Had he signed off on it, on one of those papers he pored over with Phasma every night? Had Kylo sent his knights along to help? Rey thought she might be sick.

But Poe needed her to show strength and leadership right now, and breaking down in rage and helplessness would not help her people. So she tried to force herself to look and sound confident, and squeezed Poe’s shoulder in reassurance. “Thank you for coming to tell me, Poe. Give me time to come up with a plan, and I’ll send for you once it’s settled. Alright?”

Poe looked like the last thing he wanted to do was to leave his chief alone with two warmongers, but she kept her expression firm, and he seemed to recognize that he had no choice. Finally, he nodded, bowed slightly, and when she summoned two attendants to take him to a comfortable room to wait, he followed them without argument.

Making a public scene of this would accomplish nothing, so Rey was silent as she, Hux, and Kylo walked back to their quarters. But once the door to their sitting room was shut, she threw herself on Hux, fists pounding on his chest as she leveled all of her fury at him.

“I married you because you said it would keep my people safe, you bastard! And now you order your garrison to attack us? What kind of sick, disgusting lowlife are you?”

Hux took her anger without defending himself. His expression was oddly blank, showing neither shame nor answering fury. He stood firm against the blows she landed on him.

After a moment, Kylo gently grabbed Rey’s shoulders and turned her away, his face revealing nothing except concern for Hux. She rounded on him. “And you, Kylo Ren! You pretend to treat me with kindness, when the whole time the two of you are plotting against me?”

After letting her punch his solid torso a few times, Kylo laced her hands with his and pulled her against his chest. She stopped struggling after a moment, her rage subsiding into a dull feeling of shame - that she had foolishly trusted these men again, and again they had betrayed her.

Kylo was speaking as he tenderly ran his hands through Rey’s hair. “It was Snoke, Rey.” His voice was soft, but she heard his words clearly. “Hux and I didn’t order the attack. Snoke did. I’m guessing he did it because he wants to turn you against us. Will you let him succeed?”

Rey didn’t answer, but she let Kylo lead her to a couch.She didn’t protest when he curled up against one side of her while Hux fit himself against the other, both men holding her close against them.  Even as her mind told her not to trust these men, her body recalled how good it felt to have their arms around her, and she found herself leaning into them. Her anger and fear for her friends had turned her bones to liquid, and she found she had no strength to resist what her body now desperately wanted.Shame burned hot through her, along with the dull throb of anger and fear.

“I should have expected something like this,” Hux was muttering. “Snoke is nothing if not good at infiltrating his enemy’s ranks - either by bringing people over to his side or sending his own people in unnoticed. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did both here. While we were busy with his ships at Corellia, he was operating on the other side of the continent.”

“I doubt that was all he was doing,” Kylo muttered. “He probably has several other plans in motion that we’ll only see when they come to fruition and bite us in the back.”

Rey shivered, and Kylo kissed the top of her head reassuringly.  At the same time,Hux took her hand and rubbed his thumb over it, and she looked up to find his gaze astonishingly tender. She shut her eyes to try to untangle some of her confused emotions.

“Rey,” Kylo murmured into her neck, “The last thing either of us want is to hurt you. We haven’t done a great job of showing you that, but it’s true.”

Still rubbing his thumb over her hand, Hux added, “Neither of us has any reason to go after your people, Rey. You’ve held up your end of our bargain.”

Rey felt her hackles rising at Hux’s mention of their bargain, but Kylo pulled her closer to him and ran his hand down her arm soothingly.“What Hux is trying to say is that we care about you, Rey.We want you to be happy.And both of us are fully aware that your friends’ safety is key to that."

When Rey tried to summon her anger again to respond, there was nothing left.She found that all she wanted was to allow Hux and Kylo back in, even as her mind kept replaying everything they had done to hurt her.“I want to trust you,” Rey whispered.“But you haven’t exactly made it easy for me.”

Hux kissed her knuckles, then said softly, “Let us come with you. Let us prove you can trust us. We’ll do what we can to make things right again.”

Rey was silent for several long minutes. On the one hand, if Hux and Kylo had been responsible for the attack, then allowing them to come back with her would give them another opportunity to harm her people. On the other hand, if they were telling the truth, then having them with her would be helpful in dealing with whatever was waiting for them in the desert.

Was she willing to put her people’s fate in these men’s hands? If she was being honest with herself, she knew that she already had, the moment Hux had asked for her hand in exchange for her friends’ lives, and she had agreed. It was odd to think that that day was only a few months ago. It felt like it had been decades since she had arrived at the palace, prepared to hate both Hux and Kylo for the rest of her life. Look at how well that had gone.

Finally, she sighed and nodded. “Alright. Poe is not going to like this, so let me talk to him first. Then we’ll leave this evening, if you’re ready.”

She tried to keep herself from trembling when Hux kissed her tenderly on the cheek and Kylo rubbed her shoulder again, then stood and offered her a hand. These men were definitely getting to her, and it was difficult to see this going well.

***

Hux was loading supplies onto one of the packhorses when Poe approached him, his expression soft, but dangerous.

“I didn’t expect the Emperor to be dealing with something as lowly as supplies,” he scoffed, and Hux felt indignation rise in him at this presumptuous man.

Hux fixed his gaze on the Alderaanian captain as he took a calming breath. The man was clearly trying to get a rise out of him, and he wasn’t going to let him have that satisfaction. “I am just as committed to the success of this mission as you are, Captain,” he replied, in his firmest tone, “and if that means I need to be involved in something _lowly_ like supplies, then so be it.”

Poe’s expression darkened, and he moved closer to Hux, until he was just a few inches away. Hux would have been tempted to laugh at the sight of Poe, who was several inches shorter, trying to intimidate him, if the man’s expression hadn’t been surprisingly threatening. It occurred to Hux that this man must be quite capable, despite his stature. Rey wouldn’t have chosen someone weak and foolish as her second-in-command.

“Your Majesty,” Poe spat, “I don’t know why our Chief has decided to invite you along on this trip, but I want you to be aware that I will be watching you every step of the way.”

The two men probably would have continued staring each other down indefinitely if a voice from behind Poe hadn’t interrupted them. “Captain Dameron,” it announced in a light tone, “I must commend you on your riders’ excellent horsemanship the last time we met.” When Hux turned, he saw Phasma standing behind him in full armor, the visor on her helmet up so her face was mostly visible.

Hux could see Poe’s jaw drop, and he had to force himself not to laugh. “Captain Dameron, this is Lady Phasma. She commands my cavalry. Apparently you made a strong impression on her.”

She inclined her head politely, and Poe nodded. Hux could see Poe’s respect for the lady knight visibly growing as he realized who she was.

“Unfortunately, I won’t be accompanying you all the way to Alderaan,” Phasma continued, “since the Emperor needs me to keep his officers in top shape here, but I’d love to learn more about your battle formations on the ride to the first watchtower.”

Hux only barely managed to suppress a chuckle, as he watched Poe struggle to decide whether liking Phasma was compatible with his loyalties to the Alderaan. Apparently he decided it was, since the two cavalry officers walked off arm-in-arm, leaving Hux to complete his preparations in peace.

After a few minutes, Rey walked up to him, her gaze wandering over to where Poe and Phasma stood, still deep in conversation. “How did you manage that?” she asked, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

Hux found himself grinning back at her, his relief that she had decided to give him this chance overwhelming his usually strict control over his emotions. “I did nothing,” he protested. “Apparently they have a great deal to discuss.”

Rey scrunched up her face in a way he found disarmingly adorable. “I hope Poe’s not giving away all of our military secrets over there.”

Hux let out a low chuckle. “If he is, then I can think of no one better to protect them than Phasma.”

At his words, Rey’s face fell, and Hux realized he had just reminded her of how fragile the trust they had built was. Without stopping to think about what he was doing, he took her hands in his and kissed her forehead, reveling in the soft sigh she made when his lips touched her honey skin. Her faint smile had returned when he pulled away, and he squeezed her hands one last time before they both went off to finish preparing for their departure.

***

Vader was unusually skittish as they rode west through the evening. Apparently the horse sensed Kylo’s black mood and it made him nervous. Fortunately, no one else seemed to notice. Kylo had donned his helmet and kept the visor down for this ride, more as a means of keeping his companions from observing his emotions than from any particular need for protection.

Rey rode at the head of the party alongside the Alderaanian captain. They had been deep in discussion since Phasma had left their group a few hours into the ride, and although Kylo refrained from using his magic to eavesdrop, he found himself aching to know what they were saying. Was Rey even now deciding that she had nothing but hatred to feel for himself and Hux? Or were they simply catching up on what had happened since they had last seen each other?

It bothered him more than he wanted to admit that, even after all of the time that she had spent with them - with him, in the library, in that little rowboat, in battle - she still had no trouble believing that they would betray her. It seemed that, no matter what they did to make her trust them, she would still rather believe baseless accusations than believe them when they told her they wanted the best for her. And that thought stung for reasons he wasn’t willing to examine at the moment.

Hux, who had been riding in the back with the two knights and four foot soldiers who were accompanying them, rode up beside Kylo. Kylo didn’t look over at him when he announced, trying to keep his voice steady and emotionless, “We should stop soon. There’s no use in tiring out the horses before we reach the desert. We can rest for a few hours and then start up again while it’s still cool, before dawn.”

Hux nodded, then spurred Millicent ahead to alert the rest of their riding party. Once they had found a spot to water their horses and set up a spartan camp, Kylo walked down to the stream, knowing that any attempt to sleep would be useless. He was too agitated. And as his thoughts drifted, he realized it wasn’t really Rey he was worried about at all.

He nearly jumped at a hand touching his shoulder, but relaxed when he realized it was only Hux. He covered the redhead’s hand with his own as Hux sat down beside him on a large tree root that dangled into the water.

“Goddess dammit Hux,” Kylo sighed, “he scares me. He knows exactly where to hit us so it will hurt the most. I feel like I’m nine again.”

Hux wrapped his arms around Kylo’s wide shoulders, and Kylo found himself surprised by how comforting he found the gesture. They fucked - they didn’t comfort each other.

Immediately, the memory of the last time they had fallen into bed together sprang into his mind. They hadn’t spoken about it since, but Kylo suspected that it had been just as emotionally significant for Hux as it had been for him. And Hux’s warm touch tonight confirmed it.

“You’re not nine,” Hux replied, his voice unyielding. “You’re the most powerful wizard on the continent. You have Rey at your side. You have my army to support you. We’ll beat him. It’s just a matter of time.”

Kylo shook Hux’s arms off and turned to face the Emperor, a sudden burst of fear and anger rushing through him. “You’re a fool if you think your army is any match for Snoke. Half of them are probably already loyal to him, and the other half are useless. And even with Rey’s magic, I’m not sure we’re any match for Snoke's power.”

“You and Rey defeated Snoke at Corellia. You can do it again.”

“That was a battle, Hux. This is a war, and Snoke is going to win unless we get some stellar advantage on our side that he can’t match.”

“Maybe we already have one,” Hux murmured, before pulling Kylo in to kiss him. The redhead’s hands tangled in his long hair, sweat-matted, and helmet-mussed as it was, and Kylo sighed against his lover’s mouth, quickly losing the will to argue with his Emperor.

***

Rey slept fitfully, and finally, after flying awake from a nightmare, decided to get up and walk around the campsite. She had made her way down to the stream where they had watered the horses when she distinctly heard Hux groan, “Fuck, Ren,” and she froze, overwhelmed by the chills and heat that suddenly began warring with each other for control of her body.

She knew what was happening. It wasn’t in any way ambiguous. And she knew that she should walk away from it. Yet instead she found herself walking toward the obscene sounds, until she caught sight of Kylo kneeling before Hux, his mouth on Hux’s dick as Hux leaned back against a tree, moaning.

Rey felt her mouth fall open. It was obvious she shouldn’t be witnessing this, and yet she couldn’t move from where she stood. Watching them was somehow uncomfortable and disgusting and unbelievably erotic, all at the same time. What was wrong with her, she wondered, that she was getting turned on, watching her husband fuck another man?

Then, Hux met her eyes, and she saw surprise and horror replace his blissful expression. She turned and ran, until the two men were out of sight and earshot. But she couldn’t go back to the camp - if she hadn’t been able to sleep before, then she absolutely wouldn’t be sleeping now. So she took off her boots and dangled her feet in the water as its cool eddies washed away some of the heat that had flooded her earlier, and her body slowly stopped shaking uncontrollably.

A few minutes later, Rey heard footsteps approach from behind her. She didn’t need to look directly at him to know that the large, heavy form crouching beside her was Kylo.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment. Was Hux really such a coward, that he couldn’t even show his own face? That he had to order Kylo in his stead? Her anger boiled more violently until she finally bit out, “Did he send you here to apologize? Because I’m not interested.”

She heard Kylo sigh. “No. Hux always botches things when feelings get involved, so I decided it would be best to avoid that.”

Rey nodded. So Kylo had come of his own volition, then. She couldn’t decide whether she was relieved, or hurt that Hux hadn’t bothered, but either way, her rage bubbled back down into quiet resentment as they sat in silence for another interval. Then, deciding to address the elephant in the room directly,she asked, “How long have you been lovers?”

Kylo’s response was so low, it was almost inaudible. “Two years. Since Hux became Emperor.”

“Do you love him?”

Kylo didn’t hesitate in his response. “Yes.”

It didn’t make sense, but Rey suddenly felt small and insignificant. “So why did Hux marry me, then? To be his brood mare?” She had intended to spit out the last part with malice, but it only ended up sounding sad to her ears.

Kylo chuckled, his voice surprisingly warm. “Even if that were true at first, it’s certainly not now. Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

Rey shook her head. This was too much to process. If Kylo and Hux were together, then where did that leave her?

As if he heard her thoughts, Kylo slid his arm around Rey’s shoulder and pulled her close to him. Rey found herself leaning into his solid bulk. Kylo pressed a kiss to the top of her head, and murmured, “We’ll figure it out together. At least, if you want to.”

She fell completely still, afraid to move and remind him who they were, as if it might bring him to his senses and frighten him away. This wasn’t all that different from how he had touched her in the past, and yet this moment lent the otherwise platonic gesture incredible intimacy. She realized she wanted more of this, even as she feared it.

“I don’t even know where to start,” she whispered, and then his fingers were on her chin and turning her head so she was facing him, and his lips were on hers.

Kissing him for the first time, sloppy drunken endeavors aside, was remarkable. His kisses were so different from Hux’s - where her husband’s kisses were soft and tender, his were insistent and demanding. His tongue found hers, and as she explored his mouth and he hers, as he tugged at her lips with his own, as he took hold of the back of her head to pull her closer to him, she thought she might just die, then and there. And although the thought made her question her own sanity, the idea that she was tasting Hux’s cum on Kylo’s lips seemed to only make her even hungrier for him.

But after several aching moments, Kylo pulled away and, cupping her cheek in his hand and pressing one last, soft kiss to her lips, he smiled at her and whispered, “Good night, Rey. Get some sleep.”

His words broke the spell that was keeping her frozen in place, and she stood, shakily.He made no move to get up.Perhaps he was trying to give her space, not knowing that what she wanted most at that moment was for him to carry her to his bedroll and-

Kriff. Where had that come from? Shaking her head to try to clear it of the image of Kylo doing to her what she had seen him doing to Hux earlier, she found her sleeping mat and tried desperately to get a little sleep.

***

She must have managed to drift off for a while, because the next thing Rey knew, she was jerking awake to the sounds of horses being saddled and supplies being packed up. It was still dark, but it made sense to try to cover as much distance as possible while the air was still reasonably cool. Rey sat up slowly and rolled up her bedroll before summoning a small light into her hand so she could find Artoo and get him ready to ride.

When she found her horse, down by the river, he was standing beside Millicent - and beside Millicent stood Hux, his red hair standing out like a beacon beside Milly’s orange coloring. He turned at her approach, and she froze.

Briefly, they both stood completely still, their eyes locked on each others’ - until he closed the distance between them with a few long strides and seized her face in his hands and his lips crashed into hers.

It was all Rey could do to find the back of his head with her hand and pull him closer to her, as she heard little whimpers coming from the back of her throat and surprisingly low groans coming from his. This was nothing like the way he had kissed her by the shore, controlled and patient and solicitous - this felt like something wild had been unleashed in the man, and he wanted to devour her completely. And Rey couldn’t bring herself to mind.

Was this an apology for last night? Was this some kind of claiming, some kind of power play? Was it possible he was jealous of Kylo? The questions fled from Rey’s mind when Hux’s hands moved to her waist, then wandered upward, to tease at the sides of her breasts-

But then voices coming from behind them in the woods yanked them both back into reality, and he pulled away, his eyes still blazing with - fury? desire? - but his hands now nowhere near her body. He said nothing as she took Artoo’s reins and led him back to the campsite.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Although I try to avoid extremely graphic violence, there are some parts of this chapter that may be disturbing.

They rode fast, with only as many stops as they needed to keep the horses fresh, which meant that by the time the sun was again sinking out of sight, beyond the distant rocky hills, their horses were already treading on sharp rocks, not soft grass. At this pace, they would reach the Alderaan summer grazing grounds by morning, and Hux was grateful they were making this ride in the cool night air. Riding this hard under the hot desert sun, with no trees for shade, would be brutal.

Every once in a while, Hux looked over at Rey. She rode at the front of the party at Poe’s side, as she had the day before, but they were barely talking today, both of them apparently lost in thought.

Whenever he thought of the previous night, Hux cringed. It wasn’t as if he had been trying to hide whatever he and Kylo were from Rey, but he certainly hadn’t wanted her to find out by catching them fucking. The look of horror on her face when she spotted them was now burned into his memory.

Not that that hadn’t stopped Hux from coming. He didn’t want to think about it too deeply, but seeing her standing there had made him spurt into Kylo’s mouth almost immediately.

After he swallowed Hux’s seed, Kylo shot Hux a completely indecipherable look, then got up without a word to follow Rey down the stream. His back scraping up against the rough bark of a large oak tree, Hux tried not to think about what could be happening between his wife and his lover just out of earshot.

When Kylo returned a while later, something in his posture, his expression gave Hux the distinct impression that something had happened between him and Rey. Hux didn’t ask. It was none of his business. But the way Kylo kissed him softly, as if in apology or as a peace offering, made Hux wonder if those plump lips hadn’t been on Rey’s just a few minutes earlier.

Not that he was one to judge. If she wanted to fool around with his First Knight, then he didn’t have much ground to stand on.

Hux had to admit that it was probably that thought that had spurred him to kiss her so wildly when she came down to the stream a few hours later. He was usually so careful with her, so insistent on keeping a polite distance, that the idea that he had lost control so badly around her galled him. Even now he couldn’t get her little whimpers and moans out of his head. She had wanted him. He shivered at the thought.

Still. He had told her that he wouldn’t push her to consummate their marriage, and he intended to keep that promise. He just needed to maintain a tighter grip on himself when he was with her. That was all.

The sun was not yet visible, but its light was already painting the landscape deep blue and purple as they came up over a rise and suddenly the Alderaan encampment came into view. From a distance, it looked peaceful and untouched, neat rows of tents beside hills covered in sparse vegetation that looked like it might sustain a small herd of hardy animals.

But as they came closer, the violence and destruction that had occurred here became more apparent. There were rips in the fabric of many of the tents, some of them bloody; earthenware was overturned and shattered in many places; and there was no sign of any person or animal, dead or alive. This place was no longer a home; it had become a battlefield.

They had come here to deal with any continuing threat to the people of Alderaan, to help them rebuild. It seemed that this place held no threat now, so Hux spurred his horse ahead to catch up with Rey, to see what their next step should be.

When he drew even with her, he watched her eyes darting from each tent to the next, and whether she was scanning for friends or foes, he couldn’t say. He cleared his throat. She turned to look at him, and he asked, “Do you have orders, my dear?”

She paused in her progress and looked around her, as if assessing the situation. Then she announced, “It appears there is no active threat here. The caves are to the north - let’s head in that direction.”

The rest of the party followed them out of the camp and onto the rocky terrain that quickly began to slope upward as it led into the hills. The horses moved slower here, forced to watch their footing to avoid stumbling on the loose shale that covered the ground. They hadn’t moved far when a strong smell filled their nostrils - that same stench of burnt flesh they had encountered at D’Qar.

Before Hux could turn and speak to her, Rey had already dismounted and was running toward a hollow in the hills that plumes of smoke were still trailing out of. Kylo cursed and was off his horse almost as fast, running after her. Hux sucked in a breath, knowing what Kylo was trying to prevent her from finding.

***

Kylo caught up to Rey about halfway to the hollow.His big, powerful arms surrounded her and pulled her forcefully against his chest - so forcefully that her momentum dragged both of them a few steps forward before they came to a stop. When he spoke, Kylo’s voice was surprisingly soft, his breath tickling at her ear. “You don’t want to go in there,” he murmured.

She tried to shrug him off. “These are my people, Kylo,” she growled, “and it’s my duty to see what happened here. If there were any survivors.”

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him, his eyes blazing into hers. “There won’t be, Rey. Snoke never leaves survivors.”

She had kept herself calm and level as they had ridden through the camp, while she still had a mission, a job to do, but now Rey found herself breaking down in panic and tumbling into an awful, throbbing sense of emptiness. “Please,” she heard herself beg, “I need to see them.”

At that moment, Hux appeared at Kylo’s side, slightly out of breath, as if he had jogged over. The tall knight looked over at his Emperor, then at his Empress, and sighed. “Alright,” he ground out, “wait for me here.”

Rey felt her shoulders sag in relief.

Kylo turned to look back at Hux, “I’ll tell the rest of our party to scout out the situation at the caves, then return and tell us what they found.  We’ll deal with this while they're gone.”

Then he was gone, striding off toward the rest of their party, while Hux moved closer to Rey, pulling her to him and rubbing her back soothingly. She didn’t protest, even when he cupped her face in his hands and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. It was bizarre, the contrast between the tenderness in this kiss and the hunger in last night’s, but Rey wasn’t about to think too hard about that now.

Before long, Kylo had returned and they were walking toward the hollow in silence. Hux never let go of Rey’s hand.

And then, before Rey was fully prepared for the sight, they were there. Kylo made one last, half-hearted attempt to convince her to turn around, but Rey refused to be swayed this time. She deserved to know what Snoke had done to her people.

The hollow looked almost as if it had been carved out of the rocky hills, its sides sloping gently to meet in a depression in the center. It was virtually hidden from the area around it, unless you happened to be standing atop one of the adjacent hills and looking down. Rey had wandered here several times during her time as chieftain, either for training or just to be alone with her thoughts. Now Snoke had desecrated this space. She would never be able to return here without feeling the urge to vomit.

In the center of the hollow, a bonfire was smoldering, still sending up the smoke that they had spotted from the road. And around the fire lay pieces of what had probably once been nearly twenty humans. Rey leaned against Hux, trying not to be sick.

“Ren,” Hux murmured beside her, “I stationed eight men here. The Alderaan said they lost five.” He fell silent, but his question hung in the air among them. Where had these other bodies come from?

“Kylo,” Rey finally whispered, turning her head so she could see his face clearly, “what is this? Is this some kind of sick joke?”

Kylo shook his head, his expression dark. “This is what Snoke draws his power from. Suffering that immediately precedes a ritual of sacrifice and dismemberment.”

Rey felt a chill run through her. Still, they couldn’t just leave these bodies like this, even if some of them belonged to soldiers who had attacked her people.

She looked at Kylo again, and he seemed to intuit her question. “If we bury the bodies properly,” he remarked, “that dampens the magic a bit - but I can’t imagine he’s not expecting us to do that.” He shrugged. “I doubt it will make much of a difference to him, but it’s still the right thing to do.”

The hill on the eastern side of the hollow was mostly loose shale, Rey observed. She met Kylo’s eyes, and he nodded, approving her plan. She stepped toward him, and together, they raised their arms and whispered the words of a spell that would move the stones. The rocks began to tremble, and then poured over the edge of the rise like a waterfall, filling the hollow and covering the unnatural things that had taken place there.

***

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Rey,” Kylo murmured when they had finished, and the three of them stood together at the edge of the hollow, surveying their work. He resisted the urge to look at her, fearing the revulsion he knew he would see in her expression.

“I’m not,” Rey countered, her voice hard.

Kylo dared to look over at her, allowing himself to hope that perhaps she might not be completely lost to him. She met his gaze, and the firm resolve he found there encouraged him a little.

“If we’re going to fight Snoke,” she continued, “then I need to know what he does. What he’s capable of.” The three of them were silent for a long moment, before she added, her voice softer, “How are we going to fight against him like this?”

Kylo knew she was right, of course. But she also didn’t know about the one advantage that they might have. That she had brought to them. He looked over at Hux, who nodded, his expression never faltering.

It was time to tell her the truth. She had stayed with them this far, so maybe this wouldn’t push her away permanently.

But it was Hux who spoke first. “Rey,” he began, his voice calm and steady, “you should know that I didn’t marry you to bear children for me. I would like that someday, certainly, but that’s not why I sought you out.”

Hux briefly met Kylo’s gaze, and the knight could tell that his Emperor was doing his best to maintain his composure. “Kylo believed - believes - that because your initiation as chieftain involved mingling your blood with the desert, you can provide a way for him to tap into power otherwise inaccessible to him except through…violent means.”

Her voice was soft when her eyes found Kylo’s and she asked, “How?”

This was it. This was the moment that would either tie her closer to them or push her away. Inhaling sharply, Kylo replied, “Snoke’s rituals of power derive from practices that come from Snoke’s homeland, far to the south of here. The desert has its own magic, completely separate from those power sources. I thought that if I could tap into that magic through you, I stood a chance of rivaling his power with something completely unfamiliar to him.”

Rey’s eyes narrowed and her expression turned hard. Kylo tried to ignore the dread that shot through him when he thought about Rey leaving them and continued, “Now that we know that you have powers of your own, I believe that your magic, combined with your connection to the desert, may give us a slight advantage against Snoke. But I’m not foolish enough to think that will lead us to victory.”

Rey’s gaze traveled back to the hollow they had just buried. She was silent for a long moment, a few tendrils of hair that had come loose from her buns whipping around her face in the hot wind, the morning sun already beating down on her tanned skin and turning it a deep golden color.  In that moment, she struck Kylo as a desert goddess deciding whether to grant forgiveness to or exact vengeance on her faithless followers.

Without warning, she whirled around and spat at Hux, “Why didn’t you just come to me with the request, then? Why conquer my people and take me prisoner, if all you needed was my help?”

Hux, always in control, impervious to her rage, raised an eyebrow. “Would you really have listened?”

Her eyes still blazing, Rey took a few steps forward, so she was nearly touching Hux. “I don’t know, Hux,” she replied, anger simmering beneath her voice. “But shouldn’t I have had the chance to decide for myself, before you took that choice away from me?”

Hux shook his head. “I couldn’t take that chance, Rey. I’m sorry.”

***

Rey had opened her mouth to speak again, to tell Hux exactly what she thought of his weak attempt at an apology when two voices yelling her name made her turn to look in the direction of the road. When she saw two short, stocky desert horses streaking toward her, she shoved Hux and his machinations to the back of her mind and let out a shriek of glee.

Finn and Rose barely allowed their horses to come to a stop in front of Rey before they leapt down and enveloped her in a warm hug. And nothing Rey had felt in the months since she had left came even remotely close to how safe her friends’ embrace now made her feel. Whatever had happened before, whatever would happen later, right now she was home.

When she finally pulled away after a long moment, she asked, breathlessly, “Is everyone alright? Are they here now?”

Finn smiled broadly and squeezed her shoulder. “Everyone’s fine. We treated the injuries, and everyone’s back at camp now.” His face fell as he looked over at Hux and Kylo, who were standing stiffly a few feet behind Rey, both of them sending off waves of discomfort and concern. Rey scowled at them.

“Rey…” Finn trailed off, as if he didn’t know what to say next, and her gaze shifted back to her friends.

Rose rubbed Rey’s arm and pulled her close, cutting in, “We’ve all been worried about you. Are they… are you alright?”

Rey pondered the question for a moment. Was she alright? Yes, she had adapted to life at the palace, but did that make it alright? She finally shrugged and replied, “They’ve treated me well, for the most part.”

Rose examined her face carefully. Then, her eyes fixed on Hux and Kylo, she whispered into Rey’s ear, “No one here will blame you if you want to run. And if we can make it back to the caves, we could hold out for a while, even against the Imperial army.”

The offer was certainly tempting. No more dresses and banquets and processions, no more sycophants and plotting courtiers. No more guilt and shame over her confused feelings for her husband and his First Knight. She could leave that all behind, and go back to living among her friends, her people, where she knew what was expected of her and knew how to fulfill her role well.

But that would also mean opening her people up to attack again - and she now knew Hux well enough to know that he wouldn’t hesitate to send his army after them if it meant having an advantage over Snoke. And more importantly, it would leave everyone at the palace open to attack.

Rey shook her head, feeling a sad smile make its way onto her face. “I made my choice, Rose. And I’m hoping I can do some good where I am.”

***

Rey didn’t speak to Hux or Kylo as the rest of the Alderaan trickled back into the camp and got to work setting things to rights. She didn’t speak as they settled into the guest tent that had been pitched for them - and Rey absolutely did not think about the fact that only one pile of cushions had been laid out for her and Hux in the sleeping section of their tent.

When the rest of the tribe had settled down for their midday nap, Hux and Kylo leaned over the camp table, reviewing documents. Rey reclined on the pillows in the tent’s sitting area, as if she were participating in the tribe’s customary afternoon nap, even though she knew with certainty that sleep would be impossible.

And she clearly wasn’t fooling her husband or his First Knight. They didn’t try to speak to her, but their frequent glances in her direction spoke volumes. Their scrutiny made her increasingly restless, until finally, as the shift from bright yellow sunlight to a duller gold-orange glow signaled that sunset was approaching, she couldn’t stand it anymore.  Sick of the stifling atmosphere in the tent, Rey stood abruptly and walked outside.

She wandered to the edge of the camp, to the top of a small rise where she had always enjoyed watching the desert sunsets. But somehow, despite the memories this place held for her, it no longer felt like home. Rey belonged somewhere else now, although against her will, and this was a past she could never truly return to. The desert air was as hot and oppressive and sandy as ever, but she now found she missed the sea breeze.

Hux had married her in order to use her in the fight against Snoke. She mulled the fact over, allowing it to settle in the pit of her stomach and the back of her mind.

Was that better than marrying her for the children she would bear? It certainly made her less afraid he would pressure her to consummate their marriage - although she wondered if she had ever truly feared that, once she had gotten to know him. But it didn’t change the fact that she still felt used - for her magic, rather than her body.

Rey heard Kylo’s approaching footsteps before she saw his long shadow cross hers in the low light of what was now becoming evening. She stood at his approach and turned on him, filled with fury but also oddly grateful to have somewhere to place her anger.

“How dare you-“

He silenced her by pulling her roughly to him in a kiss. And the sensation was immediately overwhelming. He kissed her harder than he had the night before, his lips moving against hers in an intoxicating mix of defiance and apology, his hands nearly bruising her waist and neck in his desperate attempt to bring her closer to him.

And it made every one of her nerves sing. She never wanted it to end.

When Kylo pulled away to look at her, his hands still tangled in her hair, he was breathing hard. “I’m sorry we lied to you,” he growled, “but I’m not at all sorry that it brought you to us.”

“How does Hux feel about that?” Rey couldn’t hide the resentment in her voice, recalling her discovery, moments before had Kylo kissed her by the river. With the revelation that Kylo was Hux's lover, she felt less certain than ever about where she stood with husband.

Kylo sighed, a slight smile on his lips. “Hux wouldn’t recognize a feeling if it bit him. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t care about you.” He chuckled darkly. “Or me, for that matter.”

Rey wasn’t prepared to think about what Kylo had just told her, so she stayed silent. He didn’t try to kiss her again, but he leaned his forehead down to touch hers, and she closed her eyes, breathing him in.

“Rey,” he whispered into the dusk, “I don’t know if we can beat him.”

Rey shuddered. He had never spoken the words aloud before, and it was unsettling to hear them. “But that’s why you wanted me,” she tried to reason, struggling to keep panic from flooding her senses. “So you can use my power and the desert magic to fight Snoke.”

With his forehead still pressing against hers, she could feel Kylo’s words vibrate through her as he spoke them. “The ritual of sacrifice gives him immense power. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I’ve never wielded that kind of magic except…” He trailed off, and Rey was suddenly afraid to hear his next words.

Finally, he shook his head angrily and pulled away from her. “I won’t use human sacrifice again.”

Rey drew back slightly. “Again?”

Kylo turned away from Rey and ran his fingers through his hair, before he replied, “Yes, Rey. Again. I was his apprentice for twenty years. You think he didn’t try to break me by having me do the same kinds of disgusting things he did? You think I’m not just as tainted with filth as everyone else in the palace? You had a defector from the Imperial Army in your ranks - you must have heard the stories.”

Rey shuddered. She had only been chieftain for a few months when Finn and Rose came to her, drenched in blood and barely able to sit up on their exhausted Imperial mount. Even after they had healed, neither of them ever spoke much about that night. All they ever said was that Finn had helped Rose cut her bonds, and that the screams of the unlucky members of the Falcon tribe had still been ringing in their ears as they fled.

But, in getting close to Kylo, she had preferred to forget the fact that he would have been closely tied up in all of that violence and bloodshed.

He turned back toward Rey, although he didn’t try to touch her again. He hurried through each phrase as he spoke, as if he had to spit each one out before it burned him. “The first time I did it, I was twelve. Snoke found me as an orphan. I don’t remember anything before him. He used to go away for long stretches of time, looking for artifacts or books or whatever else, and he would leave me to fend for myself in the countryside near Chandrila.There was this old couple that lived on a farm near our cottage. And when I was alone, I would go to them, and they would feed me, and keep me from feeling so alone. They showed me love, when no one else did.”

Rey watched Kylo’s hand curl into a fist at his side.

“Snoke permitted it until he decided it was time for my powers to manifest. So he…” Kylo trailed off, and Rey realized he was choking up at the memory.

She moved closer to him, and laid a hand on his arm. He turned toward her. “Why don’t you show me?” she asked softly, and he nodded.

He placed his fingers on her temples, as he had done weeks before in the palace, and whispered, “ _deixe_.”

Then she was looking out through the eyes of a young Kylo, following a wrinkled old man with a cruel face down a hill to a peaceful farmhouse that was drinking in the last golden rays of the sun on a warm evening. Rey couldn’t tell if the sense of foreboding she felt was coming from her or from Kylo, but she was afraid she knew where this was going.

The old man - Snoke, of course - threw the door off its hinges with a flick of his wrist, and Kylo walked inside to find the old couple staring at him in shock and fear and utter betrayal. They knew what was coming. And they knew that the boy they had loved as their son would be the one to deliver it.

Rey could feel the young Kylo trying to cower away, hoping that Snoke wouldn’t make him do this - but Snoke sneered at him, pulled him forward with a bony hand on his elbow, grabbed his chin to force him to turn his face toward the couple, and waited. Snoke would make sure Kylo did this himself, so he would bear the guilt completely, on his own.

Rey could hear herself saying, as if from far away, “Kylo, no more,” and the vision was gone. It was just the two of them, again, in the desert, and his eyes, now searching hers, revealed depths of pain she had rarely seen in anyone.

“The…act…forced my powers to manifest, the way yours did during the procession. And yes, the act made me powerful, but it also turned part of me into a monster. A monster that craves blood. And I’ve shut that part away as best I can, Rey, but it still calls to me.”

Rey placed her hands on his cheeks, bringing his forehead back down to touch hers. For some reason, she found the contact comforting, and she imagined that he did, too. “When was the last time?” she asked cautiously, afraid that she might break him with a simple question.

Kylo’s voice was no more than a murmur now. “Your friends have told you that story. We rode into the lands of the Falcon tribe, and Snoke slaughtered most of them. But he insisted that I be the one to kill their chieftain, a man named Han Solo. It gave me the power I needed to depose my master, but it also took part of my soul. And that day, I vowed I would never kill to get power again, no matter how much I craved it or needed to.”

Her hands still cupping his face, Rey guided Kylo’s lips to her own, kissing him gently this time. When she pulled away and tucked herself into his chest, she could feel him shaking against her.

Then, as if he had decided that his moment for weakness had passed, Kylo pulled away. He sank to his knees before Rey and took her hands in his large ones. She felt her heart begin to beat faster as he declared, his wide brown eyes almost liquid, “Rey, I’m sorry that I stole you from your life, but I don’t regret it. It means I have something I can wield against Snoke without losing my soul in the process.”

His apology pulled Rey back into the present. Did she forgive Hux and Kylo for kidnapping her? Was she willing to go along with them, knowing that they had lied to her?

At that moment, Hux topped the rise, his eyebrows raised as if he were trying to figure out what in the Goddess’ name Kylo and Rey were up to. Kylo stood awkwardly, brushing the sand off the knees of his pants, while Rey crossed her arms over her chest.

“Well,” Hux remarked drily, “Have we all reconciled, then?”

Rey quirked an eyebrow at Hux. “I don’t remember you playing any part in this reconciliation.”

Hux threw her a smile that was almost wicked, and Rey was surprised to feel herself blush as he asked, “What must I do then, my dear, to earn your forgiveness?”

She pretended to think deeply about the question, a teasing grin on her face. “Ren here has already gotten down on his knees, so I suppose you need to do something more creative.”

Rey wasn’t certain what she had been expecting, but she let out a small squeak of surprise when Hux took her hand and used it to pull her close to him. But when he kissed her, all tenderness and completely at odds with his usual demeanor, she found herself melting into his touch.

Suddenly, it occurred to her that Kylo - who had been kissing her fiercely just moments earlier - was still standing beside them. Rey’s eyes flew to his as Hux pulled away from her, and she swore that he smirked at her before he moved to lead the way back into the camp.

***

Night had fallen by the time the tribe assembled for dinner in the largest tent. None of their party had brought much by way of finery on this trip, but Kylo couldn’t help but be impressed by how royal both Rey and Hux looked, even in their dusty tunics and leggings. They sank into their roles as Emperor and Empress as easily as putting on a cloak. It amazed him how easily Rey, in particular, seemed to almost unconsciously put on that mask of perfect self-possession and condescension that could convince an observer that she had been royalty all her life.

As they entered the tent, the fifty or so people inside immediately went quiet. This was the first time they had seen their chief since she had been crowned Empress, Kylo realized, and although her outer appearance had not changed, there was something undefinably different about her, and it clearly made the group uncomfortable.

Rey knelt on one of the pillows circling the fire - now that the sun had set, the temperature was dropping quickly - and Hux took the cushion next to her. Kylo could see tribe members giving each other uncertain looks - Hux was not one of them, and he was using his status as Rey’s husband to push his way into the tribe’s inner circle.  But Kylo knew they also remembered being defeated by his army, and he assumed that memory was the reason no one challenged his presence by the fire.

As Kylo took a spot near the door, outside the main circles and in a good position to leap up and deal with any threats, he noticed that an older woman, sitting opposite Rey, had fixed him with a searching stare. The contours of her face seemed somehow familiar - where did he know her from? He shook his head in confusion.

Dinner was a long affair, and although the food was simple by Imperial Court standards, the meat was tender and flavorful, and the wine overflowing. Kylo drank little, careful to keep his senses sharp, but he found the atmosphere in the tent warm and inviting, even from the outer edge.

Eventually, once everyone had finished eating, the tribe seemed to come to a wordless consensus that it was time to get down to business. Whether this was their usual after-dinner custom or something they had decided to do for tonight only, he couldn’t say. All he knew was that the conversation suddenly turned to politics, and the council jumped right in, as if this were an ongoing discussion that had merely been paused.

A woman Kylo hadn’t seen before, who had been sitting in the inner circle, spoke first. “Chief, I know I speak for many here when I ask you whether it was wise to bring your consort with you into the council, when there is reason to believe he ordered the attack on our people.”

Rey’s voice rang out clearly in the smoky tent, her words full of authority. “The Emperor has assured me that he had no knowledge of this plot, and I believe him. I believe this was orchestrated by one of his enemies to hurt him. And as my husband, he has every right to sit at my side in council.”

Poe, who was sitting on Rey’s other side, spoke calmly, but Kylo could hear the dangerous tone to his voice. “Rey, do you really think you can be objective on this? I understand that you don’t want to believe the Emperor is to blame, but this is the safety of the Alderaan we’re discussing. And I don’t know if we can do that with him present.”

Kylo could see Rey’s face harden, and her response dripped with condescension. He chuckled to himself - Poe had clearly erred in calling her biased in front of the whole tribe.

The gray-haired woman looked at him knowingly, and Kylo shivered as he listened to the debate continue.

Other tribe members spoke up, and it seemed there was a rough split among those who supported Rey and those who were still suspicious of Hux. Rose was vocal in defending her Chief, although Finn seemed less certain, his eyes shifting back and forth between Poe and Hux.

Hux said nothing, of course - his silent presence in the circle said everything he needed to convey.

At some point, the meeting adjourned without a conclusive decision, and the evening dissolved back into drink and light conversation. As the tension from earlier gradually wore off, Kylo remained in the shadows.

Kylo felt a hand on his forearm, and jumped at the touch, only to find the older woman sitting beside him, a curious expression on her face. “Who are you?” she asked cryptically.

Kylo raised an eyebrow, willing himself to remain calm under this oddly unsettling interrogation. “Kylo Ren. First Knight to the Emperor.”

The woman raised a hand to his cheek, and he reminded himself that he had the power here. And yet, he was so mesmerized, he couldn’t bring himself to push her hand away.

“Where do you come from?”

To his own surprise, Kylo answered, “Chandrila.”

The woman - this must be Leia, Kylo realized - shook her head. “No. You were born in the desert. That much is obvious.”

Kylo shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance. “I don’t know where I was born. I was an orphan.”

Leia’s eyes widened. “Then I was right. You are my son.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait on this chapter - this ended up being a monster to write! But now we've got a lot of the backstory out of the way, and things are falling in place for the final arc of this story. Woohoo!
> 
> I'm totally floored by all of your wonderful comments, and I hope you enjoy where this story goes next! <3


	16. Chapter 16

Kylo’s first reaction was to deny it.There was no way this woman could be his mother.But at the moment he opened his mouth to say so, he realized that he knew she was right.He could feel it in his very soul.

So what was he supposed to do with this new information? He examined her face, tanned and lined by years spent under the harsh desert sun, and found he had no idea how to read it. Did she expect him to hug her? To express his gratitude that he finally had a mother, after years of thinking he had none?

No. That would not happen. He shoved down the emotion that was now bubbling up in him - sudden joy at discovering that he actually had a family, a joy that now threatened to overwhelm his fury at her for abandoning him. Because, as he reminded himself, that was exactly what this woman - his mother, he corrected himself - had done.  He couldn’t afford to let his walls down and allow himself to inevitably be disappointed.

And that was why part of him wanted to walk away right then. To shove her overture in her face. But now that he knew, he couldn’t just walk away without knowing the whole story. “If you’re my mother,” he growled, his eyes not meeting hers, “then why did you abandon me?”

She was silent for a moment, and he looked up, expecting her expression to betray hurt. Or guilt. Instead, when she spoke, she just sounded tired. “I thought you were gone,” she replied simply.

Kylo looked at her incredulously. His mother had just…forgotten about him? She hadn’t even bothered to look for him? The idea made his stomach turn.

And yet he still couldn’t make himself turn away. It was something in the lines of her face that kept him frozen there, something about the way she was somehow old and sad and impossibly powerful, all at the same time.

The old chieftain continued, “You were five years old when it happened. You had a little pony you used to ride - do you remember Threepio?”

The name set off something in Kylo’s memory, and an image of a small gold pony suddenly came to his mind. But was it a true recollection, or just a fantasy triggered by the desire to remember?

Leia’s voice became thoughtful, as if she were now absorbed in the memory. “You never liked playing with the other children. You always preferred going off by yourself. You used to take Threepio and ride off into the desert, just the two of you, and only come back for supper.” Her face fell. “Then one evening Threepio came back without you. We searched and searched, for days, but we found nothing. Eventually, we gave up searching.”

She fell silent, and the final puzzle piece fell neatly into place in Kylo’s mind.

Snoke.

It always came back to Snoke. He must have somehow Kylo’s magical potential and decided to take his power for his own. And how simple - to snatch a child, and simply alter a few of his memories to make him believe he had never been wanted or loved in the first place. And how much easier would it be if the child’s family didn’t care enough to keep looking for him? He felt rage begin to consume his mind.

Leia reached out and placed a hand on his cheek. She was tiny - barely half his size - so she had to reach up, but something about the gesture made this otherwise fierce-looking woman seem shockingly vulnerable. “Ben,” she whispered, and he shuddered away from her touch.

“Was that my name?” His voice came out as barely a whisper.

Leia nodded. “Ben Solo.” Her eyes met his, and there was no mercy in them now.

That was all she needed to say. With those words, Kylo felt fear and fury and all the emotions he had bottled up since that horrible day two years ago begin to spill over. “No,” he whispered, struggling desperately to maintain control, “that man was not my father.”

But he already knew. Snoke had ordered him to kill his own father, and he, faithful apprentice that he was, had followed his instructions to the letter.

***

Rey found Kylo at the edge of the camp, his arms wrapped around his legs, and she imagined his goal was to make himself as small as he possibly could. The sight of such a large man curled up in a ball would almost be amusing, if it didn’t tug at her heart so badly. She sat down beside him, and placed her chin on his shoulder. He didn’t even look up.

“Leia told me.”

“Oh, good,” he snapped, his tone surprisingly virulent, “I’m glad my _mother_ saw fit to inform you.” His voice became lower, and he looked at her now, his expression dark. “I suppose it makes sense, since you’re like a _daughter_ to her and I’m nothing but a stranger.”

Rey wanted to say, “Of course you’re not,” but they both knew that would be a lie. Leia had been Rey’s mentor during her time as chief, had welcomed her into the tribe with love. Kylo - _Ben_ , she now corrected herself - had seen her tonight for the first time in twenty-five years, after a childhood spent under the tutelage of a violent, abusive maniac. She couldn’t blame him for feeling bitter.

So she said nothing. As they sat there, her head on his shoulder, the night breeze tangled long strands of their hair together.

“At least you had people who loved you,” she finally whispered, unable to stop herself from prodding him. “I never even had that, at least as far as I know.”

He uncurled his arm enough to put it around her. She didn’t want to think about how safe and right she felt in his arms. After a while, he breathed out, “I don’t know whether it’s worse to never know you had family, or to know you had them and lost them.”

“They’re not lost, Ben,” she said, her voice small in the vastness of the desert night. “They’re right here.”

He turned on her, rage and despair now warring in his features. “I’m not Ben Solo anymore, Rey. I’m not Han and Leia’s son, I’m a creature Snoke designed for nothing but destruction and hate.”

Rey recoiled from him - not out of fear, but out of the instinctual understanding that he needed space to be angry in order to work through this.

When he spoke again, his voice was lower but no less furious. “I killed my father, Rey. Snoke ordered me to do it, so I did. My family isn’t all here to welcome me back because I killed Han Solo. And you know what?” She could feel the heat of his fury coming off of him like steam now. “Deep down, I think I knew it. I knew he was my father. And I killed him anyway.”

Rey couldn’t help the shudder that passed through her at his words, at the self-loathing that now seemed to be consuming him.

He looked over at her again, his eyes now turning more sad and lost than angry. “So this isn’t the story of some prodigal son coming home, Rey. The wounds Snoke created - the wounds I created - they can never be healed. Maybe I wasn’t an orphan at first, but I made myself one.”

After a moment, Rey moved closer to the large knight, and he put his arm around her shoulders again, as if, despite himself, he couldn’t resist her touch.

Although the Alderaan had managed to clean up much of the damage caused by Snoke’s attack, the flocks were still missing, scattered and lost in the hills surrounding the camp.It was surreal to Rey to sit at the edge of the grazing groundsand not see white and brown balls of fluff resting on the nearby hill, and hear the soft sounds they made in sleep.  The night seemed unnatural, empty.

For some reason, Rey found her thoughts wandering to Ben - the name seemed to cling to him powerfully, she realized, no matter what he claimed - and his relationship with Hux. Despite growing up with Snoke, in fear rather than affection, Ben had managed to find love of his own, in the Emperor.

“You want to ask me something.” There was a hint of amusement in his voice, and Rey took that as a positive sign. She didn’t ask how he knew.

“How did it start, between you and Hux?”

He smiled at her, and she leaned back against his chest to listen.“We were rivals when Snoke first brought me to the palace,” he began, reclining on his left arm as if he were settling in to tell a long story. 

“Hux was the unwanted son of the Emperor’s unwanted second wife, so even though he was the uncontested heir by the time I arrived, the Emperor had gotten used to ignoring him. Any respect he had at the palace was earned by hard work on Hux’s part.”

This fit with how Hux had described his childhood, but somehow it seemed starker, the way Ben was describing it. She tried to picture Hux as a teenager, all gangly limbs and wiry red hair and - somehow, she knew - a sense of gravity and solemnity to him even then. The image was sad, but she didn’t find herself pitying him.

“I was Snoke’s apprentice,” Ben continued, “but my position relative to everyone else at the palace was never well defined. So, as I’m sure you can imagine, Hux and I came into conflict repeatedly. Sometimes violently.”

Rey laughed quietly. “I can imagine that.” Now she pictured Ben, a sullen shadow trailing behind Snoke, resentful of the heir to the throne. Yes, she could easily see the two of them fighting viciously.

Ben frowned, his voice turning hard. “I never questioned what Snoke was doing. He would disappear for months at at time, then reappear suddenly and ask me to fetch mysterious things, try strange spells. But the worst was when he would order me to join him on one of his trips. We would go to some small town, usually far away, on the Empire’s borders, where no one would be able to report back to the Emperor - not that the Emperor would even care - and he would order me to kill with him.”

The idea that this had been a frequent experience for Ben growing up under Snoke’s thumb shouldn’t have been surprising to Rey, after the other things she had heard about the old wizard, but hearing him say it so plainly made her heart hurt for him.

“Eventually, he decided it was time for me to do my own killing. So he assigned me a squad of knights and sent me off on missions with them - and of course, I did his bidding. I was too afraid of Snoke, too scared that the knights would report any disobedience back to him, that I did whatever he asked. Even as I knew that every murder was shredding up my soul just a little more.”

Rey pulled herself closer to Ben, and he tightened the arm he had around her.

“And at the same time, Hux’s father was expanding his Empire. And Hux was right out in front, leading campaigns.” He paused. “Did Hux tell you about his mother?”

Rey nodded. “The Emperor married her for her dowry.”

“Yes, that’s true,” Ben replied, “but she had Imperial lineage in her own right. Her family had once been nobility, before some daughter at some point in the past married into a merchant family. Hux’s mother was descended directly from Roderick the Great. And she never let Hux forget that his ancestor had built the Empire.”

Rey hummed. “So that’s why he’s so obsessed with empire-building.”

“Yes,” Ben replied, “he always wanted desperately to have a legacy to match Roderick the Great’s. I think, even after all these years, he still just wants to make his mother proud. But, to his credit, he also wants to make things better for his subjects.” He sighed, and leaned back further, pulling Rey back with him. “Sometimes I envy him that drive and ambition.”

They were silent for a moment. Then Rey decided it was time to return to her original query. “So you were rivals. How did that turn into…?” She made a vague gesture, and he laughed.

“This?” he murmured, turning his head slightly to catch her lips in his. She sighed against his lips, and as he drew away, he smiled softly at her, making her heart leap. Then his expression hardened. “It was our campaign against the Falcon tribe.”

Rey already thought she didn’t like the direction this was going in.

When he spoke again, Ben’s voice was low and emotionless.“Most of the tribe had been taken captive and their power harnessed by Snoke,” he recounted.“We had been through days of bloodshed and battle magic I never want to see performed again.I had killed Han Solo the night before, and his blood was still beating through my veins, making me savage.Our final offensive against the last holdouts in the cliffs was all-out chaos.

“I could feel the exact moment something went horribly wrong.I happened to be out on the front lines in time to see three of the knights who were flanking Hux turn on him.”Ben sighed, and his voice became softer.“I had no real reason to save him, Rey - we were rivals, and I felt no loyalty to the Empire except as Snoke’s apprentice.If anything, I should have felt more loyalty to my knights, even if they were carrying out orders that weren’t mine.

“But something made me go back and save Hux.At the time, I told myself it was self-preservation: I knew without question that Snoke was behind it, and if I didn’t take him out, there was nothing stopping him from eliminating me, too.But that was a lie.The real reason was much simpler.”

Ben paused for a moment, and Rey found herself kissing his jaw, encouraging him to go on but also just enjoying the deep, throaty growl her kiss elicited. His grip on her tightened, as if he needed her touch to keep him steady as he told this story.

“Once I killed the knights, I knew I had to go after Snoke, or I wouldn’t survive the night.Snoke is not a forgiving man.I was so overwhelmed by fear and rage and the magic flowing through me from the people I had killed, that I don’t have much memory of it, except that I caught up with him at the edge of the cliff, cornered him, and pushed him off the edge.”Ben shuddered.“Even as he fell, I knew I hadn’t killed him.I knew he would be back, stronger, and out for my blood.”

He began to stroke Rey’s arm, and she found the gesture soothing.“It wasn’t until after everything was over that I learned that knights had turned on the Emperor, too, and killed him.Snoke had been staging a full-on coup under the smoke of battle.And it was only because of me that he failed.”

Rey was silent for a long moment. She considered trying to comfort Ben by reminding him that his father’s death hadn’t been in vain, that it had allowed him to thwart Snoke’s plan. But this didn’t seem like the right moment.  Instead she returned to her original question, and asked, “So you and Hux?”

Ben chuckled softly. “Let’s just say he used rather…unorthodox means to convince me to stay with him as his First Knight.”

Before she could respond, Hux’s sharp but clearly amused voice rang out from behind them. “I would argue,” he remarked drily as he settled in on Ben’s other side, “that there’s a long and time-honored Imperial tradition of using seduction for political purposes.” Something stirred in Rey as she looked around Ben and saw how comfortable and easy her husband appeared, leaning back against his First Knight’s arm. She thought she saw him smirk at her in the dark, and when she shivered at the idea, Ben pulled her closer to him.

The sun had set hours before, and the air was cool around them, but Rey soon found the heat her body was now producing almost stifling.And as if his lover’s presence had finally allowed him to relax and lay aside his anger and fear for a little while, Ben nuzzled against Rey’s neck.She moaned at the feeling, returning the gesture when he turned to kiss Hux.

Then Rey felt Hux moving again, and she heard his voice from above her as he reached out one hand to her and one to Ben. “I think,” he suggested, as he levered both of them up with impressive agility, “it’s time for us to try to get some sleep. My dear?” He held out his hand to Rey, and she realized he was asking her permission. He wanted her to sleep with the two of them tonight - but she also knew without question that he wouldn’t push her if she refused.

She took his arm. They all needed to be close to each other tonight. Hux pulled her to him as they walked back to their tent, all six of their feet scraping against rocks and shifting sand around beneath them.

They barely bothered to remove boots and tunics before the three of them settled in among the cushions in the tent’s sleeping area, with Hux and Rey each curled on either side of Ben, pulling him close and kissing him softly until they all fell asleep.

***

Rey wasn’t entirely certain what woke her from her light sleep and drew her outside.All she knew was that when she sat straight up in bed, desperately needing to get up and get some fresh air, the tent was still pitch black.Looking back at Ben and Hux, she felt a pang of guilt at leaving them, their sleeping forms still tangled around each other, but the urge to move was nearly overwhelming.She rose, trying her best to avoid disturbing them, donned her boots, and slipped out into the night.

The evening’s revels had fully ended, and there was no one stirring in the camp as she wandered through.Rey could almost imagine as she walked that she was chieftain again, that these tents were still her home and their lives hadn’t been shattered by Hux and Kylo Ren and Snoke.

A hand on her shoulder nearly made Rey shout in surprise, as she spun around to find Leia standing behind her. She hadn’t spoken with the former chieftain since before Hux had taken her away, and when she looked in her mentor’s eyes, it disturbed Rey to find none of the woman’s usual warmth there.

“You’re hiding something from the council, aren’t you?” Leia's voice was cold and direct, and Rey immediately bristled at the accusation.

She stood her ground, working to keep her voice steady. “What makes you think that?”

Leia didn’t answer immediately, although her eyes never left Rey’s. A thought came into Rey’s mind, unbidden - was it possible that Leia shared some of the power that Ben had? Was it Leia’s magic that had brought her outside tonight? A chill ran through Rey’s body at the thought.

“I watched you during the council meeting tonight,” Leia said finally. “You’re an excellent leader in many respects, but you’ve never been good at hiding things.”

Rey found her temper flaring. Leia had lobbed the truth at Ben like one of Snoke’s fireballs, and now she had summoned Rey out here to accuse her of lying to the tribe?

But when Leia spoke again, her voice was low and serious. She pulled Rey’s ear down to her mouth, whispering fiercely, “If it’s something to do with magic, which I strongly suspect it is, then you need to go see my brother, Luke. He’s not exactly social, but he has a long memory. If there’s anyone who can help you, he can.”

Rey looked at Leia for a long moment. She had no real reason to distrust the former chieftain, and if there was a chance that Luke the Hermit might have something useful to tell them, then it was worth going to see him.

“Then I’ll leave immediately,” Rey replied, her voice hardening as she formulated a plan. “And I’ll need Ben to come with me.” She grimaced, thinking of how hostile Poe had been toward Hux that evening. “And while we’re gone, please keep my husband safe from the rest of the tribe.”

Leia nodded solemnly. “You have my word.”

***

Rey had always loved riding in the desert at night. The cool air, the complete still landscape - it made her feel completely at peace. Even now, with the world crashing down around her, she was still able to find some of that peace as Artoo picked his way gingerly among the rocks and desert plants toward the cave where Luke the Hermit lived. She thought they still had another hour of darkness before the sun rose and began baking everything in sight, and she intended to relish the cool temperatures until then.

She pressed a finger to her lips, where Hux had kissed her tenderly when he had seen them off. “Come back to me, Empress,” he had murmured in her ear, pushing her back against Artoo’s flank, where she had been ready to mount up. When he had pressed his lips to hers, one hand wrapping around the back of her neck, she thought she might burn up.

And then he had moved away, leaving Rey stunned from his touch, and he had whispered something to Ben. Rey hadn’t been close enough to hear, but Ben clearly had, since he had pulled Hux to himself and kissed him forcefully.

When they had pulled apart, they both looked over at Rey, and she had found herself growing hot under their gaze. They seemed to be waiting for her to give an answer she didn’t have, so she had looked away, embarrassed. Then Kylo had grunted, “Let’s go,” and when she turned to look, Hux had already been heading back inside the tent.

Rey shook her head to clear it. There was no use in thinking about her desires when there was work to be done. Then she turned her attention back to the road before them. She had heard a few stories about Luke the Hermit when she was with the Alderaan - mostly about the adventures he had gone on as a young man. No one ever reported having actually seen him, and none of the stories explained why he had gone into hiding.

She hadn’t had time to process it at the time, but now that she thought about it, she found the revelation that Luke was Leia’s brother to be just as disconcerting as everything else that had taken place in that conversation. What else was the chieftain concealing?

She glanced over at Ben, who hadn’t said a word since they had left the Alderaan camp. He looked up to meet her gaze and smiled at her.

***

Luke’s cave was at the top of a rock face, so Kylo and Rey tied up their horses at the bottom and climbed up. Kylo supposed he shouldn’t be especially surprised to find that Rey was a nimble climber, but it was an odd feeling to find himself struggling to keep up with her.

They had ridden for several hours, and it was almost midday now. Kylo could feel the sun beating down on his black clothes, but he resisted taking any of his layers off. He wanted all of his armor up when they met whoever was waiting for them at the top of the cliff.

But of course, Luke wasn’t waiting for them at the top. There was nothing to indicate that the cave above them was inhabited, except Leia’s - his _mother’s_ , he reminded himself - word. By the time Kylo hauled himself up onto the shelf, Rey had already paused at the mouth of the cave, as if she were caught between anticipation and terror. He came up beside her and laced his hand with hers, and they walked in together.

As they crossed the threshold, an uncanny feeling swept over Kylo. Instinctively, he knew that some cataclysmic magical event must have taken place here. By the way Rey was holding herself stiffly beside him, he assumed she was feeling it, too.

They both jumped at the sound of a voice ringing out from the depths of the cave. “Ah, yes,” it announced, sounding tired, almost annoyed. “Leia warned me you were coming.”

Kylo nearly stumbled backward at the man’s words. Leia hadn’t had time to send a messenger to Luke. This man was an extremely powerful seer, if he could communicate with someone half-a-day’s ride away. And as he strode forward, his magical aura assaulted Kylo’s senses in a way he hadn’t experienced since his days as Snoke’s apprentice.

“Are you Luke?” Rey’s voice sounded hopeful, as if she honestly thought Luke could help them.

A graying man - not quite old yet, but certainly on the way there - stepped out of the shadows, his face grim. “You want to know about the Old Magic,” he spat out, with more venom than Kylo had expected.

His nostrils flaring, Kylo stepped in front of Rey, prepared to face off if the man became any kind of threat to them.

But Rey had already moved out from behind Kylo, walking toward one of the walls as if in a trance. “What is this place?” she murmured, as her hand touched the rock face.

Luke came up behind her, and it took all of Kylo’s self-control not to immediately put himself and his sword in between them. He had no idea what it was about Luke that was triggering all of his protective instincts, but whatever it was, the impulse was strong.

The old seer touched the wall, above where Rey’s hand was slowly running up and down the crevices of rock. “It’s an ancient power center. Shamans used to come here to perform rituals.”

“And now?” Kylo could barely hear Rey’s voice above the roar of magic in his ears.

“Now I keep watch against anyone who might come and try to use the Old Magic contained here.”

Kylo stepped forward, his mind racing. “But the Old Magic is sealed off. Inaccessible. The work of Alexios, hundreds of years ago.”

Luke turned and fixed Kylo with a sharp look. “So they say.”

Kylo felt a chill run through him at Luke’s comment. What was the old man implying?

Luke motioned for them to follow him to what passed for a sitting area in his cave - a small fire, and a few blankets to spread out and sit on.

Then he spoke again. “The Old Magic was sealed off,” he began, “until your grandfather set out to undo Alexios’ work and return its terrible powers to the world.”

Luke then told them the story: how Anakin, Luke and Leia’s father, had left the desert to become a powerful wizard. How he had studied with shamans in the far south and, enticed by the promise of more power, returned to this very cave to break the seal Alexios had placed on Old Magic in this very cave.

And how Luke, then only a teenager, had discovered Anakin’s plans, and had followed after him. How he had managed to convince Anakin to stop - only for them to find that it was too late to stop the ritual. How Anakin had sacrificed his own life to protect Luke and prevent the backlash from destroying everyone nearby.

This was Kylo’s family legacy. Selfish desire for power, destruction, death. For several minutes after Luke finished telling the story, Kylo couldn’t meet his companions’ eyes.

But there was a larger task at hand. He couldn’t wallow in anger and shame and forget that. Finally, he turned to Luke and, keeping his voice as steady as he could, asked, “So, now that the Old Magic has been unleashed here - anyone can use it at will?”

Luke shook his head.“This is only one of the power centers Alexios used in his seal.The main one is in Roderick’s tomb, under the Great Temple in Coruscant.Until the last barrier is broken, there will still be at least a few controls on the use of the Old Magic.”

Rey turned to look at him, her eyes still showing confusion. “Why is this Old Magic important?”

Her eyes flew to his at that, concern growing in them.

“It can do great good, certainly,” he continued, “but, as you might imagine, the results of its use were often catastrophic.Alexios, the first Emperor’s First Knight, sealed it away permanently, or so the legend goes.”

Luke sighed.“And that’s the way it was, up until your grandfather broke the seal here.Now this cave is overflowing with magic.And at first, it was contained here.But in recent years - well, I don’t leave this cave, so I haven’t seen it myself, but I’ve felt more magic seeping out into the world.”

Kylo’s free hand closed into a fist, as fear and rage began to bubble up to the surface again. “Snoke. He’s been cracking open the seals.”

They hadn’t told Luke who Snoke was, but he simply nodded.Kylo didn’t ask how he knew.The old man finally remarked, “I assume his ultimate target is the final seal in Coruscant.”

Kylo stood and began to pace, trying to use physical movement to calm his emotions for long enough to think logically. “So what can we do about it? We beat back his fleet last week, but I have no doubt the next time he strikes, he’ll be stronger.”

As silence fell over them again, Kylo felt his emotions spike further, until he was prepared to snap at Luke’s next remark.Fortunately, it was Rey who spoke next, and Kylo found that the warmth and hope in her voice had a dampening effect on his anger.Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to curl up with this woman in his arms, with her telling him everything would be alright.

“Maybe we should find out how this Alexios sealed off the Old Magic,” she offered. “Maybe there’s a way to reverse what Snoke’s been doing, or make it backfire on him. Are his books in Snoke’s library?”

Kylo shook his head. “The first Emperor came from the north, in the mountains. His armies conquered Coruscant and he built the Great Temple to honor the Goddess granting him victory. But I’ve never seen anything old enough to be his papers in Coruscant, so we have to assume that Alexios’ knowledge remained in Scarif, the first capital.”

Rey stood and took Kylo’s hand again, her face brighter now.“So let’s go there.Let’s see what we can find.”

Kylo grimaced. “Scarif is nothing but ruins. I can’t imagine any of the papers from the First Empire have survived. And it would be several days’ journey, maybe longer.”

Rey fixed him with a look, and Kylo immediately knew that she had already made up her mind. “I don’t seen any other option,” Rey countered. “If there’s even a small chance that something we find there would give us an advantage, then we need to try it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof, lots of (very necessary) backstory here! Something a little tastier in the next chapter, I promise.
> 
> I can't tell you how much I have loved all of the comments this story has been getting. Thank you so much! :)


	17. Chapter 17

But getting to Scarif wasn’t as simple as Rey had imagined. In the centuries since Roderick the Great had moved the Empire’s capital to Coruscant, the remote city in the mountains had gradually lost contact with the rest of the Empire, and now even its precise location was not shown on most modern maps.

And although Hux had agreed readily to the plan, all of them understood that Kylo and Rey would be leaving the capital city defenseless against magical attacks while they were off on what might end up being nothing but a wild goose chase.

To make matters worse, the situation in the city itself had deteriorated significantly while they had been gone.Even in the week that they had been in the desert, the protestors in the poorer districts had grown noticeably bolder.As they rode through the city streets to the palace gates, they were met with angry shouts - and though each time, the dissident immediately dissolved back into the crowds without trying to cause any physical harm, they were left with the uneasy feeling of general hostility surrounding them.It was disconcerting to ride through streets that just weeks ago had been thronged with supporters and to now struggle to find a friendly face in the mob.

Hux had suggested that they consult Maz, who was the closest thing the Empire had to an archivist, and so they had gone to the Great Temple immediately after they arrived at the palace, not even stopping to change out of their sweaty, dusty traveling clothes.

Maz met them at the main doors with none of her usual wry cheer. “I don’t like this,” she said as soon as they had told her their plan. “This is what Snoke wants you to do - run off on some hopeless mission and leave him free to wreak havoc on the capital.”

“This is why we need your help, Maz,” Kylo said quietly as he leaned back in one of the rickety chairs in the old priestess’ office, fixing her with his gaze. “You can activate the defenses Alexios built into the city walls. They - along with Phasma’s troops - should keep Snoke at bay until we can return.”

Rey looked at Kylo sharply. This was the first time she had heard of any such defenses.

Maz sighed. “Kylo Ren, you know that once he’s broken through those defenses, we’ll have nothing left. If I’m going to use them, then you had better be completely certain that you’ll find something in Scarif.”

Kylo looked uneasy. “I have no idea what we’ll find there, but it’s our only hope. If he gets into the city and we don’t have a way to stop him from breaking that final seal, then nothing else we can throw at him matters - he’s won already.”

Maz nodded mutely. Then, as if she had made a decision, she turned to move down the corridor. “I believe the archives have a few old maps that may be of use. Follow me.”

***

Rey had known the minute Luke and Ben had told her about Alexios that they needed to go after his papers, learn everything they possibly could about how he had sealed off the Old Magic. She knew, deep down, that the only way they could possibly defeat Snoke was to thwart his end gameand ensure that the Old Magic stayed out of his reach. If they couldn’t do that, then they would be nothing but sitting ducks here, waiting until he tried a spell they couldn’t counter.

But that didn’t make the prospect of leaving the capital - and Hux - any easier. The closer the hour of their departure came, the more desperately Rey wanted to stay. And so that was how she found herself, on the afternoon before she and Ben would leave, wandering in to the sitting room, her heart pounding hard when she spotted Hux on one of the couches, reading through some reports.

She sat down next to him, he put an arm around her automatically, and she snuggled closer to him, taking comfort from his warmth against her side. It occurred to her then that, if things went badly, this might be the last time she saw him. If that was the case, was she willing to leave him without consummating their marriage? Without sleeping with him, just once? How odd that something that would have delighted her a few months ago - never seeing Hux again, escaping this marriage entirely - now seemed unbearable.

“Hux?” she murmured against his chest.

“Hm?” He put his papers down and ruffled a hand through Rey’s loose hair.

Rey took a deep breath, then looked up into his eyes. “I want a wedding night,” she told him frankly.

Hux stiffened, his hand falling still on Rey’s scalp.

After a moment of silence, Rey tried again. “Before I leave with Ben tomorrow. I want you to give me a wedding night.”

She felt him exhale deeply against her side.Then he finally responded, his eyes burning into hers, “Are you certain you want this, Rey?I don’t have any…” He trailed off and looked away.

“Any what, Hux?”

Hux wrung his hands, his eyes not quite meeting hers apparently battling nervousness and something else she couldn’t decipher.“I’m sorry I ever made you think I expected anything from you, Rey.You don’t need to do this.”

She smiled softly up at him, trying to show him that she wasn’t doing this out of some kind of misplaced sense of duty. “I know, Hux. I told you I want this. Will you give it to me?”

She could see him shiver at her words.He took her hands in his again, his thumbs running over her knuckles.Then he murmured, “Traditionally, the bride and groom bathe together before their wedding night.Would you…” he trailed off again, and Rey was struck by how shy her usually self-assured husband seemed.“Do you want to start there?”

She nodded. “I’d like that.”

“Alright,” he murmured, standing and gently tugging her to her feet.“I’ll send Phasma in to help you prepare.”He kissed her hand gently, and she shivered at the look she saw in his eyes as he straightened - at how shockingly vulnerable he looked.It suddenly struck her that, no matter how much territory he might rule, this man still wasn’t so far removed from his boyhood.

Then he walked her to her bedroom, his hand warm on her lower back, and before she could turn around, he had closed the door, and was gone.

Rey waited what felt like an eternity for Phasma to arrive, although she knew that in reality it was probably not much longer than half an hour. When her friend finally entered, she cupped Rey’s face in her long, slim hand and examined her face closely, frowning slightly as she did.

Finally, she said, matter-of-factly, “If Hux pressured you into this, I’ll kill him.”

Rey couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up out of her. “I have no doubt you would. But I asked him for this.”

Phasma nodded. “That’s what he said. But I wanted to hear it from you.”

Rey settled onto the stool in front of the mirror, and Phasma began to comb out her hair. There would be no elaborate hairstyles for this, so Irene hadn’t come to help. Rey felt herself relaxing into Phasma’s touch, enjoying the feeling of the older woman’s hands on her scalp.

“Nervous?” Phasma asked, her tone slightly amused.

Rey nodded. “I haven’t done this before. At least, not really.” There had been the few nights she and Rose had spent together, before Rose and Finn had gotten serious, but Rey had the feeling that it would be different with Hux, in mechanics if nothing else.

Phasma hummed in response. “Well, if you’ll accept my advice - tell him what you want. He’s new at this, too, and he’s going to need you to guide him, at least at the beginning.”

Rey digested that piece of information. She had assumed that Hux had much more sexual experience than she did, but was it possible that he had never slept with a woman before? That Ben had been his only partner, up to this point? Somehow, the idea that he might be nervous, too, made her feel slightly better.

When Phasma finished brushing out Rey’s hair, she motioned for Rey to stand and undress.

Rey stood, but her hands froze at her tunic’s clasps. Suddenly this seemed so much more real than it had when she had suggested it to Hux an hour ago.

Phasma smiled at her, laughing gently. “Sweetheart, if you’re going to do this, he’s going to see all of you. There’s no reason to be shy about it now.”

Right. Rey bit her lip and nodded, then began to take off her clothing. When she hesitated at taking off her undergarments, Phasma motioned for her to continue.

Finally, when she was completely naked, Phasma helped Rey into the thin robe she would wear to the baths. Then she took Rey by the shoulders and fixed her with a stern gaze. “If you change your mind, Rey, tell him. Don’t go through with this unless you really want to.”

Rey nodded, and Phasma hugged her warmly. Rey let herself relax into the taller woman’s arms, suddenly overwhelmed by how much they had come to care for one another in the months that Rey had been at the palace. Then Phasma pressed a gentle kiss to Rey’s forehead, and she was gone.

A few minutes later, there was a sharp knock on the door. Rey sucked in a breath, then went to open it for her husband.

He was dressed similarly, in a thin robe, and she was surprised at how slight he seemed, without his usual heavy layers of clothing. But his muscles were well defined, and he still towered over her as he dipped down to press a chaste kiss to her lips. Then she took his arm, and he led her to the baths.

They were both shy as they bathed. He barely looked at her naked body as he bathed himself, keeping his gaze in front of him. But she found herself sneaking glances at him. His lower section was obscured by the water, and the light in the baths was too low to see much, anyway, but she found that she was not at all repulsed by the idea of touching him. She thought about running her hands over the firm lines she could barely see outlines of, and found herself growing suddenly warm.

Finally, after they had both washed and dried themselves, and slipped back into their robes, he spoke for the first time. “Traditionally,” he murmured as he approached her, “the groom carries the bride back to their bed.”

She shivered at his words, and nodded. He smiled slightly, kissed her on the forehead, then gently lifted her into his arms.

***

When Hux had first come up with the idea of marrying a desert chieftain, he hadn’t thought much about their marital relations. Presumably he and his Empress would consummate their marriage at some point, and she would bear him an heir, but he had no reason to think he would especially enjoy the act. After all, that was what Kylo was for.

Strangely enough, though, in the time since Rey had come to the palace, this act had come to mean something more than just copulation to him.And that fact that had struck him violently when Rey had surprised him with her request to give her a wedding night. 

Not that he hadn’t ever thought about how she might feel in his arms, but he had assumed she wasn’t interested, so he hadn’t lingered for too long on the idea, at least most of the time.But now that he knew she wanted him, he found himself anxious to make this a good experience for Rey. And that was why, before he had sent Phasma in to help Rey get ready, he had asked her, his nerves spiking, what he needed to know in order to pleasure a woman.

She had laughed at him, and he had been tempted to growl at her and throw her out. But then she had told him, “It’s not so different from being with a man, Hux. You need to listen to her, pay attention to what her body’s telling you. And,” she added, smiling slyly, “you can never go wrong by using your mouth.”

Now, as Hux laid Rey down on the bed before him, her robe sliding open just enough to reveal a freckled chest and the outlines of her breasts, he felt himself growing hard. He lowered himself down onto the bed next to Rey, and met her lips in the softest kiss he could manage, even though his body was already aching to take more.

But he wasn’t going to take anything until he knew she wanted it. Pulling away and cupping her face in his hand, he murmured, “Do you still want this, Rey?”

She nodded, and he could see her becoming flushed with desire.

One more thing, though. “Rey,” he repeated, “promise me if you want me to stop at any point, you’ll tell me?”

She smiled up at him, and his breath caught. “Hux, you’ve known me for long enough - have I ever not spoken my mind?”

He smirked back, suddenly feeling more at ease. “Fair point,” he murmured, before he pulled her in a deep kiss.

The part of him that was able to think rationally - which at this point was not much - marveled at how different this felt from when he was with Kylo. With Kylo, everything was about taking, but with Rey, he found himself aching to give.

As he explored deeper inside her mouth, his hands wandered down Rey’s body, stopping first to slide her robe gently off her shoulders, which elicited the sweetest whine from her mouth. Then he ran his hands slowly over her breasts, feeling their shape and the way her nipples hardened under his touch.

Hux moved his mouth down to Rey’s neck and sucked gently before he pulled away, not out of insecurity, but simply because he wanted to hear Rey tell him what she wanted.

“Do you want me to touch you?” he asked, his mouth now hovering over a breast and his hand ready to pull her robe down further.

Her answering moan was enough affirmation for Hux, who began to suck softly on the nipple while teasing his hand down closer to where she wanted it.

As his fingers finally touched her clit and made Rey moan loudly, Hux pulled away from her breast and found her mouth again. “Does that feel good?” he asked.

“Yes, Goddess, yes, Hux, don’t stop, please!”

He smiled against her mouth, and this time he suckled on her other breast, while he continued to touch her lightly.

Then she began to rock against his fingers more aggressively, and Hux began to stroke harder. He slid a finger inside her, and was pleased to find her wet. When she moaned for more, Hux slid a second finger inside her.

He thought of Phasma’s words again, and suddenly wanted to try for himself. “Rey,” he murmured, “can I taste you?”

Her eyes widened, and she nodded vigorously. He took that as his cue to slide down her body and position himself between her legs. And he looked at her - really looked - for the first time.

This was nothing like sucking Kylo off. He never had to wonder about where Kylo wanted his mouth - and Kylo was always good about using his hands to tell Hux what he liked and what he didn’t. With Rey - well, would she tell him what she liked? Or would he just have to guess?

He ran his hand down her inner thigh and delighted in the soft moan she released at his touch. So far, so good. She had seemed to like it when he pressed a finger inside her, so he leaned in closer and swept his tongue around her opening. Judging by the whimper she made, that was good, too. So he tried actually thrusting his tongue inside her - and that got a very loud response.

But after a few minutes of lapping at and filling her cunt, Rey pulled on Hux’s hair. He raised his head.

“Hux,” she breathed, “suck on my clit and finger me at the same time.”

Oh kriff. He felt himself getting harder just at her dirty words. He followed her instructions, and soon, she was shaking against him, quickly building to a loud climax. He kept his tongue and his fingers moving through her orgasm, and when she finally stilled, he crawled back up to plant a soft kiss on her mouth.

“Mmm,” she whimpered, “I can taste myself on your lips.”

Hux had to restrain himself in order to avoid coming at her words, before he had even entered her. He hadn’t realized this would be so much of a challenge. They lay still, her head against his chest, for several silent minutes, until he had control over himself again. Then, smoothing a lock of hair back from her face, Hux murmured, “Do you still want this, Rey?”

She picked her head up and kissed him again, this time with a deeper, more desperate hunger. “Hux,” she finally breathed, “I told you I want my wedding night. All of it.”

He nodded, before shifting so that he was on top of her. He always found this the easiest position for him to take when Kylo was topping him, so he thought that it made sense to try this first. He kissed her again, savoring the taste of her mouth, which was something so uniquely Rey, and then positioned his hard cock at her entrance. She moved her hand to guide him, and he thrust in slowly.

He groaned. She was so tight around him, and all he wanted to do was to start moving in her. But he paused and pushed a lock of hair off her forehead, looking at her eyes as they slowly opened to look at her.

“Okay?” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

She nodded, and he began to move in earnest, savoring the whines she made as he fucked her.

“Goddess, you feel good,” he groaned, before gripping her face in his hands and kissing her harder.

And then he was coming into her in spurts.Had he ever come so quickly in his life?And had Rey enjoyed it?Her expression, and her contented sigh as she folded herself into his arms seemed to say yes.

“Rey?” he murmured against the top of her head.

“Hm?”

“Thank you.”

He thought he could feel her smile against him.She turned to kiss his chest and he could barely hear her answer, “No, thank you.”

Hux’s last thought as he drifted off to sleep was of how much she belonged there, just as much as he belonged in Kylo’s arms.

***

At some point in the night, Rey was roused out of a light sleep by the feeling of another body sinking down onto the bed on Hux’s other side.Her drowsy state quickly turned to immediate wakefulness when she felt a large, firmly muscled hand snake its way around her naked waist.

Rey froze. Yes, Ben had kissed her before, but lying in bed with him while she wasn’t wearing anything was something entirely different. Did he realize he was touching her, and not Hux? She tried to sneak a glance at him, but Hux’s shoulder was in the way.

Rey tried to relax. She really did. She tried to force herself to settle into sleep, but all she could think about was the hand on her waist and the body on Hux’s other side. She felt herself grow hot under his touch, until finally, it became too much to bear. She stole a glance at Hux, who still appeared to be sound asleep, and carefully maneuvered herself over her husband to find herself face-to-face with Ben.

Who immediately pulled her on top of him and kissed her deeply. And was that moan coming from him, or from her? He was making her so dizzy, it took her a moment to realize he wasn’t wearing any more clothing than she was. Underneath her hands, she felt nothing but firm muscles, and kriff if she didn’t want them all over her, right away.

Had he come into bed to sleep with Hux tonight? Rey realized she didn’t care. Maybe this was wrong, but she desperately needed it. She seized his chin in her hand and kissed him back fiercely.

“Goddess, Rey,” he was growling, “I want you so badly.” He paused, and his voice softened, his hand reaching to pull her hair back so he could see her face in the dim moonlight. “Do you want this?”

She whimpered in response. “Ben,” she moaned, “please.”

And that was all it took. He shifted slightly so that his shaft was hovering right below her opening, and although she had never tried this position before, instinctively she knew what to do. When she ground down on him, taking him in one stroke, they both moaned loudly.

Kriff. There was no way Hux could have slept through that. Rey froze and looked over at Hux guiltily, only to find her husband was fully awake.

And stroking himself languidly. She couldn’t help the moan she let out at the knowledge that Hux was getting off on watching her fuck his lover.

As if he knew what was going through her mind, he quipped, his voice as cool as ever, “By all means, don’t stop on my account.” But his calm voice belied the strain on his face as he watched them.

So slowly, experimentally, her eyes remaining on Hux’s, Rey moved herself up on Ben’s cock, then let herself back down, feeling herself squeeze around his length. And it felt delicious. She was surprised to find that he was noticeably thicker than Hux, although she assumed, based on her limited knowledge of male anatomy, that Hux wasn’t especially small himself. She placed her palms on his thick chest muscles, and kriff if that didn’t feel good. And judging by the way Ben squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his grip on her thighs, she assumed he was enjoying it as much as she was.

As they picked up the pace, Hux continued to watch them intently. An idea sprang into Rey’s mind. “Hux,” she murmured, “come here.”

And he did, even as she continued to move with Ben. When Hux was within an arm’s length, she tugged him in and his lips met hers and his hands went to her breasts as Ben continued to fuck her and squeeze bruises into her thighs and the sensation was so overwhelming, it pushed her over the edge almost immediately, so that she was shaking and throbbing on Ben’s dick and in Hux’s arms.

But Ben never stopped thrusting up into her, and after he finally came up into her a few minutes later, she was so spent, she could do nothing but curl up against his chest. Hux tucked himself against her other side, and suddenly she realized she had never felt so safe in her life as she did between these two men. She almost laughed, thinking how appalled she would have been at the idea a few months ago, when she first arrived at the palace.

It was only a few minutes later that she realized that Hux was still slowly stroking himself. “Hux?” she murmured, nuzzling against his neck.

“Yes, darling,” he replied, the strain now apparent in his voice.

Rey smirked. “Do you need some help?”

He was silent for a minute, and she thought he was going to demure, but then Ben crawled over so he was on Hux’s other side, interrupting whatever Hux might have been intending to say. Ben covered Hux’s hand with his own, and Rey ran her hands down her husband’s chest, kissing and sucking on his neck as Ben slowly worked his cock.

This was so different from when she had been riding Ben, and everything had felt frantic and wild and desperate. This was slow, and intimate, and affectionate. Even with Rose, who had been and still was a close friend, it had never felt like this.

When Hux moaned out both their names, it struck Rey that she felt incredible tenderness for both of these men. What that meant for all of them, she wasn’t willing to examine, but for tonight, this would have to do.

***

They had decided that Rey and Ben should depart as quietly as possible the next morning, to avoid drumming up fear and rumor among the courtiers, as well as avoiding feeding Snoke any unnecessary information through his spy network.Ben’s absence was easy to explain, since he often went off on long trips with his knights with no explanation or warning, but Rey’s was more difficult.Hux had decided not to tell even his council, for fear of leaks, and so he intended to let on that she was ill - and if the courtiers would assume the illness was due to her expecting an Imperial heir, they probably wouldn't examine her absence too closely.

And according to the plan, Hux wouldn’t come with them to say goodbye.They left him in the sitting room, with a brief kiss from each of them, and Rey felt a pang in her chest at the sight of him, now branded into her mind, watching them walk away from him.Even knowing this was necessary, leaving Hux behind hurt more than Rey was willing to think about.

Rey and Ben had walked down to the stables together in the predawn light, when even the stable boys were still in bed.They took the saddle bags they had packed the day before from where they had hidden them, and were nearly ready to mount up on Artoo and Vader when Rey caught sight of something - a person, she realized suddenly - out of the corner of her eye. 

But as she turned to look, whoever it was disappeared with a swirl of robes.

Ben was looking at her curiously, but Rey said nothing. She didn’t want to think about the fear that was rising in her chest at the idea that someone might have seen them, and might even now be summoning something nasty to prevent them from reaching their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kept you all waiting on the latest update for so long, and I had both of these chapters ready to go, so... double update!
> 
> So this was originally just going to be a Reyux scene, but things just got so heated in the last few chapters, I just couldn't stop myself from adding a *little* Reylux action in this chapter. Oops!


	18. Chapter 18

At some point in the past, there had been a well maintained road between Coruscant and the mountains. But in the centuries since Roderick had relocated his capital to the coast, Emperors’ interest in the swamp and forest land in the lightly inhabited western provinces had dwindled, and the roads had been neglected.

Once they had left the main road, which now led only to the burnt-out husk of D’Qar, Rey and Ben’s progress had slowed. Vader and Artoo were forced to pick their way around shrubs that had grown up in the middle of what had once been a road, and wade through swamps that now flooded its paving stones. Several times, the two humans had needed to dismount to lead their uncharacteristically skittish horses through waist-deep pools of muddy water teeming with flies.

Rey couldn’t blame the horses for their distress.Ever since they had left Coruscant, and especially since they had turned off onto this path through the woods, she hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that they were being watched.She fought the constant impulse to turn around, to look behind her, and each time she gave in, half-expecting to see some menacing figure stalking them, she was unsettled to find nothing there.

And Rey wasn’t the only one who felt it, either.

There were very few records in Maz’s archives of people from the Empire’s core lands who had traveled into the mountains and returned to tell the tale, at least in the last few centuries.However, what they saw in those records they had suggested that there were large and vicious wild animals in the forests - some powerful enough to take down a horse in a single leap.That had been enough to convince them to travel with one of the Empire’s largest and most ferocious wolfhounds to protect the horses and pack ponies. 

But even Chewie, who had been proud and curious when they were on the road, was nervous here in the woods, constantly looking around him and cowering and whining at the slightest noise. 

Ben, on the other hand, was completely unreadable. He rode with his helmet’s visor down, even though it was just the two of them, and Rey couldn’t help but wonder if he was trying to avoid her. They had barely spoken since they left Coruscant - only a few words when necessary, as they changed direction or set up or broke camp. And they hadn’t said anything at all about the night they had spent together in Hux’s bed. Was he regretting what they had done? Did he believe he had betrayed Hux by fucking her?

Or maybe he was just worried about Hux, as she was. They both knew that every second they spent on the road, every second they lost slogging through muck, was another second that brought Snoke closer to Coruscant, and to their Emperor. But there was nothing to be done. Scarif was the only hope they had for defeating Snoke, even if it was a long shot.

One morning, after they had been traveling in the woods for a week, Rey woke to a prickling at the back of her neck.As she rose from the thin bedroll that she had managed to maneuver into a narrow space between shrubs, she looked over to see that Ben was already awake, unpacking their cold breakfast from one of the ponies and glancing around them in a way that signaled that he was also on edge.The fact that her normally stoic companion was visibly nervous only deepened her worry.

Rey came up alongside him. “What are you sensing?” she murmured, her eyes also shifting around the woods that surrounded them.

He shook his head. “I’m not sure.” He turned toward her slightly, and she caught a glimpse of the fear in his eyes. "I don’t like it,” he murmured. “We’ll keep an eye out as we ride today.”

The forest was deceptively quiet as they traveled, and although they saw nothing to arouse any suspicion, Rey found her sense of discomfort rising as the sun climbed in the sky. She could tell from how heavily Ben was breathing and the way his gaze kept darting around that he was feeling the same thing.

Early in the afternoon, Rey looked down to find that her skin was covered with goosebumps, and she realized that her ears had begun to ring. She looked over at Ben in concern, and he responded to her unspoken question, “Strong magic. Of a variety I’m not familiar with. Get ready to bolt if we need to.”

Rey shivered. The narrow spaces between the trees and shrubs left little room for flight, and the supply ponies, with their short legs and heavy bodies, certainly wouldn’t be able to keep up. If Ben was telling her to prepare to run, then he didn’t think they stood much of a chance of winning.

“You know I can fight,” she whispered, not knowing exactly why she whispered.If their pursuers had magic, then they already knew exactly where their quarry were.

“I’m counting on it,” he responded, shooting her a tight smile. “I haven’t given up yet, I just want to keep our options open until we know what we’re up against.”

Rey tightened her grip on the reins and pressed forward.

A few minutes later, the sound of a twig cracking drew Rey’s attention behind them, and she caught sight of movement through the trees to their rear. Her eyes flew to Ben’s, and he nodded. They would make their stand here - which was as terrible a position as any other in these woods - and pray that the Goddess would take their side today.

Kneeing Artoo to signal him to turn around to face their attackers, Rey raised her bow. As she prepared to fire, she caught a glimpse of Ben muttering something under his breath beside her.

Rey loosed her first arrow in the direction of the movement she had spotted, and as she turned to reload, she heard two cries. Apparently her arrow, and whatever Kylo had done, had both struck true. But when she looked up to aim again, she realized their efforts might not be enough.

Visible through the trees now were at least fifty fighters, and if what Ben said about their opponents' magic was correct…

“We’re not going to be able to outrun them,” she muttered, “And I can’t bring down enough of them to make a difference. Can you draw from my power and use your magic to take several down at once?”

Ben nodded stiffly and leaned over his saddle to grasp Rey’s hand. She kept her eyes open, her bow drawn and her staff at her thigh in case any attackers got close enough to be in range. Then he began chanting, and the fire of his magic filled her the way it had on the deck of the ship at Corellia. She felt his power rip through her as ten enemy fighters toppled from their mounts, and their horses immediately bolted into the trees. Rey felt a little burst of triumph: perhaps they stood a chance after all.

But Ben’s expression turned grim again, and Rey quickly understood why.

In front of their opponents arose a glimmering curtain of green light that made Rey feel slightly sick to her stomach when she looked at it. Instinctively, she understood that this would protect the enemy riders while allowing them to shoot or stab at Rey and Ben.

In response, Rey felt another surge of power flow through her as Ben erected his own, similar barrier.

“We’ve got to find a way to get at the shamans,” Ben murmured, “There are more of them, so their shield will last longer than ours, and…” He trailed off. He didn’t need to elaborate on what would happen once their own shield failed.

Rey gazed intently through the blue and green curtains, to take stock of the enemy fighters. The riders had paused immediately before their own shield, their swords held at the ready for when Ben and Rey’s shield fell. Behind the front line, Rey saw a group of five men with long red beards and white robes, their mounts circled up and their hands raised. These must be the shamans.

Ben wouldn’t like her plan, but he would have to admit it was better than nothing. She turned to him. “Can you maintain your own shield and create an image of me next to you without my help?”

He looked at her sharply. “Yes. What are you planning to do?”

She pointed at the edge of the green shield. “It’s a wall, not a bubble, and it only extends far enough to protect the fighters on the flanks. If I use the camouflage spell you taught me, I should be able to sneak around it and attack the shamans before they can defend against me.”

Ben frowned. “If they see you…”

“That won’t happen.” Gripping Artoo’s reins and whispering reassuringly to him, Rey declared “ _Krypse_ ,” and spurred him toward the edge of the green barrier, trusting that Ben had successfully created a decoy of her and keep the enemy from realizing she had left his side.

As if he understood what she wanted, Artoo stepped quickly but gingerly through the woods, making his approach as silent as possible. Rey concentrated on keeping her camouflage spell strong, hoping that the shamans would be so focused on keeping their shield up that they wouldn’t notice her approach.

It seemed that luck was with her. The shamans didn’t turn as she came up beside them. Rey inhaled deeply and raised her staff above her head, preparing herself to strike. Then, she brought her weapon down in a vicious arc, sending the three nearest to her flying from their saddles with a single swing. She brought Artoo around to fell the other two before they could register her attack and counter it.

But even though she had stunned the shamans and disrupted their spell, she still needed to finish them off if she and Ben were going to get out of this alive.

Drawing her sword, Rey dismounted and moved toward the men lying on the ground, some of them beginning to move. She tried not to think too hard about what she was doing as she made quick work of stabbing hearts and slitting throats.  Behind her, now that the enemy shield was down, she could feel Ben charging into the middle of their opponents, his sword slicing in every direction.

Rey had just dealt with the last of the shamans and allowed herself a second to savor the chance that they might actually win when she felt a sharp pain lance through her thigh.What the…?

She reached down to feel her thigh, and her hands came back wet with her own blood, as she felt for a shaft that had sunk deep into her leg. _Kriff._ One of the enemy’s archers must have hit her while she was focused on the wizards.

Her vision began to swim, and she found herself crumpling to her knees, her leg burning white hot with a searing pain she hadn’t felt since she was eleven or twelve and had fallen on a jagged rock while scavenging. She had barely been able to move for days after that. Hux’s face suddenly flashed into her mind, reminding her of what was at stake. They couldn’t afford to lose that kind of time.

A horse bolted past her, its rider raising his longbow as he turned back to where Rey knew Ben must be. Even through the haze that was quickly smothering her mind and clouding her vision, the thought that Ben was in danger spurred her heavy limbs to move. Her bow was still at her back, and she somehow managed to grab an arrow from her quiver and aim it at the rider. He fell with blood gurgling from his throat. As soon as she saw his bow fall from his hands, Rey’s knees collapsed from under her, and everything went black.

***

Rey woke to the feeling of strong arms cradling her against a firm chest, and a large hand spanning her thigh. With a start, she opened her eyes, realizing that the pain was gone.

And so was Ben’s distance from the last several days. As soon as he came into focus above her, his lips were meeting hers, tender and warm and making her whimper with desire she could feel even before he swept his tongue across her lips.

“Rey,” he growled, pulling away slightly, “you scared me.” He buried her face in his neck possessively, and she snuggled closer to him.

Then her awareness shifted to his hand on her thigh, which still stung a little, and she pulled back to look at him. “Ben,” she asked sternly, “what did you do? That was a serious hit - it should have taken days to heal.”

He kissed her forehead softly, and she leaned into the touch without thinking. “We don’t have that kind of time. I healed it as much as I could.”

Rey pulled away again as frustration surged through her. How much of his power had he used to heal her? How exhausted would he be for the next several days? Would he have enough strength to help her defend them again, if another troop came on the heels of the first one?

But then Ben ran his hands soothingly down her back, and, as if he knew what she was thinking, he whispered into the top of her head, “I think he just wanted to scare us. I’m not expecting another attack, at least not immediately.”

She shivered, her anger at him immediately overpowered by the sickening feeling of dread that was now churning in her stomach. “Can you still feel him, even all the way out here?”

He nodded grimly. “I lost contact with Hux a few days ago.” Rey had assumed that was the case, but hearing it from Ben was still disconcerting. They now had no way of knowing what was happening in Coruscant. “But my connection with my former master is more…robust,” he continued with a grimace. “It’s not often that I can’t feel him, if he wants me to.”

Rey hesitated before asking, “And what does he want you to feel now?”

“He’s…amused.”

***

Rey was still been weak from the arrow wound she had taken during the battle, despite the magic Kylo had poured into it to make her whole again. But neither of them had wanted to linger where Snoke’s allies had already found them once, so after Kylo and Chewie had rounded up the packhorses, he and Rey worked together to shove her onto Artoo’s back and they set off again.

At first, the only sign that they had reached the mountains was the steady upward angle to the forest floor. Eventually, the ground became harder and rockier, the trees gave way to smaller shrubs, and the slope became steeper.

When they reached a break in the trees and could see where they were heading, Kylo couldn’t help but feel his heart sink. They needed to scale what looked like a nearly vertical slope of loose rocks and ledge in order to summit this ridge and hopefully find the ruins of Scarif on the opposite side. If they were lucky and if their maps were accurate.  And if there was even something left there to find.

“The horses can’t climb that.” Rey was looking at the slope, and although her voice was measured and calm, he could detect a hint of worry in it. She continued, “We’re going to need to put everything we can carry on our backs, and leave the mounts here with Chewie.”

Kylo nodded. Neither of them voiced the fear he knew they both had in their minds - that despite Chewie’s protection, the horses might fall prey to an attack by wolves or other wild animals, or fall and hurt themselves, or wander off, and when they returned, they would find themselves in the middle of a vast wilderness without supplies or a means of getting home.

But they both knew there was no other option. They hadn’t come all this way just to turn around, with their destination nearly in sight. So there was no need to speak as they unloaded the food they would need from the supply ponies and led the animals to a water source, leaving them untied, in case they needed to bolt. They would just hope that Chewie could protect them and then herd them back if they did run.

Then they began the climb. At first they made good time, their strides long on the uneven ground. But as the slope became steeper and the rocks looser and less stable under their feet, their pace slowed. Before long, Kylo’s muscles had begun to burn from the exertion, and he was by no means in poor shape. Rey didn’t sound winded, but her face had turned pink, and he assumed she was also feeling the climb in her legs.

After they had been climbing for a few hours, Rey stopped suddenly and tugged at Kylo’s shoulder. “Ben,” she gasped, “look behind us!”

He turned, and his breath caught as he followed her gaze back over the land they had covered on their journey here, all they way back out toward Coruscant and the sea. Kylo had traveled extensively within the Empire, but its lands were mostly coastal plains and hills, not mountains. He had never been up so high in his life, and the view was stunning.

As they laid their packs down and sat down to rest, Kylo slid an arm around Rey. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder as they looked out, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

The air was chill and completely still, as if the sea breezes had no dominion here in the mountains.The land beyond them seemed to shimmer in the afternoon sunlight.As they lingered together there, at what felt like the top of the world, Kylo’s mind wandered. 

His thoughts traveled back to Hux, alone in the capital, waiting on their return.He thought about the night they had spent together - and yes, fucking Rey had been fantastic, but what stood out in his mind even more was what had happened after, when their three bodies had curled up together into one warm unit, and it had felt to Kylo as if nothing could be more right in the world.

He had purposely kept his distance from Rey during the ride through the woods, afraid of crowding her or pushing her. He couldn’t bear the thought that she might very well have been acting out of pure lust, rather than out of actual feelings for him. That now she might be regretting the night she had spent with him and Hux. If that was the case, then he would prefer to pretend that night had never happened,.

But his attempt to keep her at arm’s length had been compromised when he had seen her lying on the ground, an arrow protruding at a sickening angle from her thigh. He had run to her right after he had brought down the last enemy fighter, cradling her in his arms as he healed her. And when he had been slow to stop touching her, even after she had woken up, and she hadn’t pushed him away, he couldn’t suppress the burst of hope that had filled his chest.

And now, as they sat on this mountainside, overlooking the land that her husband ruled, he found himself imagining Rey with him and Hux in the palace, years after Snoke’s defeat. The three of them together, children piling onto them… He felt his throat catch at the image.

“I want you to be happy with us,” he finally murmured after a long stretch of silence, unable to hold back his feelings from her.

She sighed, looking away from him. “It’s hard to be happy when we’re worried about Snoke.”

“If we win, Rey. Could you be happy with us?” He tried to keep his desperation from creeping into his tone, but he wasn’t sure whether he was succeeding. He didn’t look at her, afraid of what he might see if he did.

He felt Rey pull away slightly, but she didn’t shrug his arm off entirely. “I don’t know, Ben,” she sighed, her voice low. “If we win, then I’ll have served my purpose, and there’d be no reason to stay.”

Did she really think that? Did she not realize how they felt about her? Still unable to look her in the eyes, Kylo growled in her ear, “Even if we want you to?”

Rey was silent for a long moment, before she finally stood, shouldering her pack again. “Let’s keep moving,” she announced, leaving his question hanging in the air, unanswered. “I’d like to try to make it over the ridge by nightfall.”

***

They had brought heavy tunics and cloaks with them, but none of their gear was sufficient for the blast of cold wind and the eddies of snowflakes that met them once they reached the summit and looked down at where they still needed to go. Kylo looked over at Rey, who nodded, and they began what would clearly be a hard trek downward.

The thin layer of snow made it difficult to keep their footing on the loose rocks that blanketed the slope, and they found themselves relying heavily on the ropes they used to tie themselves together.

Kylo didn’t regret that he had healed Rey back to almost full health, since that had allowed them to press on today and avoid any delay in their progress. However, he could feel his strength waning with every step he took, and he had to struggle to keep his eyes open. The healing magic he had used on her was draining, and their current task required everything he could give, and more.

They had been walking on this side of the ridge for at least an hour when Kylo thought he saw something that could be wide enough to be a building, several hundred feet down the slope, and partially obscured by the lightly falling snow. Kylo edged forward to investigate more closely, and he had almost decided that, yes, it must be some kind of manmade shelter when a rock slid out from under his foot.

His stomach dropped as he felt his entire body surge forward, down the almost vertical slope. The end of the rope that attached him to Rey went taut, and a sudden bolt of panic ran through him. He would go hurtling to the bottom of this ridge, and drag Rey along with him. They would both end up crushed on the rocks in a pile of broken limbs and bodies, and Hux would never know what had happened to them. There was no time to send up a spell to stop his fall, and as he slid, Kylo waited for the inevitable feeling of Rey tumbling along after him.

But instead, Kylo’s body came to an unexpected halt a few feet from some sharp-looking rocks.Rey’s end of the rope pulled at him sharply from behind.

After a moment, he looked back up the slope to see that she had grabbed onto one of the spindly trees that grew there, and the tree was now glowing with the spell she was chanting to keep it stable and upright.

Kylo fought to regain his footing, and when he felt secure, he walked back up the hill to her. She flashed him a tight smile when he reached her, and suddenly, his relief was so immense, he couldn’t hold himself back from pulling her into his arms and kissing her soundly.

“Thank you,” he finally murmured into her neck, reassuring himself that they were both still alive and standing.

She returned the gesture, kissing his cheek lightly before replying, “Let’s find somewhere to rest out of the snow. We’re both exhausted, and we’re going to start making mistakes if we try to keep moving tonight.”

So they aimed for the outline Kylo had seen, watching their steps carefully as they went. When they came up close to the building, he felt a sudden surge of triumph. Although he knew Rey could take care of herself, the urgent need to protect her had been raging through him since the enemy soldier’s arrow had pierced her leg, and the fact that they now had somewhere to hole up in against the storm flooded him with relief.

The building almost couldn’t be called that.The walls were stone, which must have been the reasons it was still standing after centuries of neglect, but there was no door, only a small portion of the roof was left, and there were gaping holes in the walls. 

After they had set up their packs under the roofed section inside, they went back out to gather whatever fallen branches they could find to build a fire. They both knew the temperature would only drop further as the sun set, and they would be defenseless without some kind of heat source. When they had a decent stack, Rey ignited it with a few whispered words.

A dull orange glow lit up the quickly darkening interior of the building, and Kylo turned to Rey, unsurprised to find her face as drawn and tired as he knew his must be.

When they crept close to the fire, Kylo could feel tendrils of warmth trying desperately to snake up his back, but the air was too cold for it to make much of a difference. They were basically in the middle of a snowstorm.

Remembering what he had learned as a boy in Chandrila, where the temperatures sometimes dropped significantly at night, Kylo turned to Rey, then looked away again immediately, afraid to meet her eyes and see rejection there. “I don’t mean to be forward,” he murmured, “but if we take our clothes off and huddle under the cloaks, it should keep us a bit warmer. We can surround ourselves with a warming spell, and that should get us through the night.”

When he dared to look at her again, he saw that a blush had appeared on Rey’s cheeks, but she nodded in agreement.He was surprised at how much relief he felt at her acquiescence - after all, on their last night in Coruscant, they had done a lot more than just taking off clothing - but somehow the idea of actually stripping down in front of each other felt unexpectedly vulnerable.

Kylo tried not to stare as Rey took off her tunic and boots, her hands moving as quickly as possible so she could avoid being bare in the frigid air for any longer than necessary. She was facing away from him, but the curves of her body were still visible, even with her back turned. Then her clothes were gone and she was scuttling under the covers to preserve as much heat as she could. From where she lay in their pile of bedding, she looked up at him, her eyes widening in…fear? Arousal?

As he took off his shirt and pants, he watched her eyes rake over him, taking in the parts of him that she had only seen in the dark, and he grinned over his shoulder at her. Then, he crawled into their makeshift bed beside her, wrapping her up in his arms.

He started the warming spell, and she joined in as soon as she caught onto the words. The completed spell wrapped around them like a protective bubble, slowly draining their magic, but keeping them alive as it did. All in all, he considered it a worthwhile trade.

They had been lying together in silence for a while when Rey chuckled softly, and her body shook against his chest. “What would Hux think if he could see us like this?”

Kylo tightened his grip around Rey. “He would be glad we’re keeping ourselves warm so we don’t die out here and leave him alone.” His words came out sharper than he intended, but he wanted Rey to understand that petty jealousy would be the last thing on their Emperor’s mind.

He was snuggling closer to her, nuzzling his nose into her throat, when suddenly Rey shifted back against him, grinding subtly but unmistakably into his half-hard cock.

_Kriff._ Was she trying to kill him?

She said nothing, but when he tentatively moved his hand downward to stroke her stomach, a soft moan came from her lips.

“Rey-” he began, but she shushed him immediately, instead reaching back to grab his hips and pull them forward against her ass, grinding his shaft even harder into her.

So she didn’t want to talk. Kylo bit down on the disappointment that bubbled up in him at that.  He had found himself hoping - again - that he might mean something to her, beyond being a convenient warm body. But he didn’t have so much pride that he wouldn’t take whatever she was willing to give him. If she wanted a tumble, he would give her one.

***

It was easy not to think, with Ben thrusting into her from behind, his large torso spooned up against her smaller one, his thick fingers moving against her clit in a way that felt intoxicatingly good.

But after she had come on his fingers - more than once - and he had pumped his load into her, filling her cunt with warm spend that lingered even after he withdrew, thinking was all she could do.

What in the Goddess’ name had he meant, when they were sitting on the hillside earlier that afternoon? Did he honestly want to make their arrangement a lasting one? Then why had he ignored her for days, after they had left Coruscant?  And why bother with her, when he and Hux already had each other?

She sighed, shoving all of her frustration into one exhalation, which he responded to by turning her in his arms to face his chest. She leaned into it, grateful for his warmth and bulk, even as she found her thoughts spinning out of control.

When he finally spoke again, it wasn’t what she was expecting at all.

“Rey,” he murmured, rubbing his nose into her hair, “Why do you still call me Ben?” There was no accusation in his tone - just curiosity.

She snuggled closer into his chest. “Because Ben is the part of you that grew up free from Snoke. He’s the part of you that we’ll get back, when we’ve defeated him.”

She thought he might protest, but his only response was a humming low in his throat, as if he were carefully considering her words. Finally, he kissed her forehead, and laughed softly. “If you say so. Ben it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reylo forest adventures! Don't worry, Hux will come back soon.
> 
> The last chapters of this will probably take me longer to write, because I'm low on time these days and want to make them good. However, I promise this will continue to get updated, even if the updates aren't constant.
> 
> And as always, thank you all so much for reading and commenting - you really make my days! :D


	19. Chapter 19

Ben was freezing cold when he woke in the hazy, dim light of the next morning. Which made sense, he mused, since he and Rey had spent the night outside in the snow, with basically no shelter to speak of.

Rey’s body was just as cold as his was, but he was relieved to feel her chest rising and falling slowly against his. Their warming spell had kept them alive through the night.

Ben rubbed his eyes open, and then nearly jumped in surprise when he found two curious faces peering down at him. Where had they come from? Were there really people still living up here? His first impulse was to jump up and arm himself, and he had begun to throw back the cloaks when it occurred to him that both he and Rey were stark naked underneath their makeshift covers. So instead he settled on reaching surreptitiously for his dagger and glaring suspiciously at the faces.

To Ben’s chagrin, the two faces, which he now saw were attached to two short, robed bodies, broke out into laughter. Ben was caught between embarrassment and anger when he felt Rey stirring beside him and a sudden wave of protective fear washed over him.

Her eyes slowly blinked open as she asked sleepily, “What’s going on?”

Without breaking eye contact with the two intruders, Ben leaned down to press a soft kiss onto her cheek. “Nothing to worry about, sweetheart,” he murmured in her ear. Where had that endearment come from? “We’ve just got some visitors, that’s all.”

At that, she sat up quickly, before remembering, as Ben had, that her chest was bare. Blushing furiously, she pulled the cloak up to cover herself. “What do you want?” she asked, her voice defensive and thick with apprehension.

The two visitors laughed again. Then their faces became suddenly serious, and one of them said flatly, “We could ask you the same thing. You’re trespassing on our sacred land.” He spoke the Common tongue, but the accent was strange - nothing Ben had ever heard before, in any of his travels.

Rey took one of the cloaks - leaving the other to keep Ben covered, and wrapped it around herself as she stood up to her full height, which was a little taller than either of the two visitors. Apparently the diet up here in the mountains was poorer than what people ate in the lowlands, or even in the desert, if these people’s heights were any indication. “We apologize for trespassing. We had no idea there were still people living here.”

The two strangers - now Ben could see that one was male, and one female - exchanged a look, but said nothing.

Ben wrapped himself in the other cloak and stood to join Rey. “We don’t want to bother you. We’re just looking for papers - documents, carvings, anything - that could help us understand more about Alexios and his seal on the Old Magic.”

The two visitors’ faces immediately closed up and became hard. The woman replied with finality, “We have nothing here about Alexios.” Ben opened his mouth to protest, but she continued speaking, a note of urgency - perhaps even panic - creeping into her voice. “You need to leave now. Take your things, and be on your way before the sun appears over the ridge.” She pointed up the slope, which was now colored in cool shades of blue and purple. The sun would probably be fully visible in another hour or so.

Then the two monks turned and departed without another word, leaving Ben and Rey alone.

“They have what we need,” Rey finally whispered.

Ben nodded. They just needed to figure out how to convince the two strangers - whoever they were - to hand it over.

***

Once they were dressed in their warmest gear and their supplies were again strapped to their backs, Rey followed Ben down the slope, a line of footprints trailing behind them and marking their progress in a thin coat of new snow. Rey held Ben’s hand as they walked, and she found it comforting to feel her cool fingers in his. Although the air was freezing and both of their hands soon chafed and grew red from the brutal wind, she was grateful that he hadn’t chosen to put on gloves and cut off that skin-to-skin contact.

Neither of them said it, but they both knew they were taking a major risk, in ignoring the strangers’ instructions. There was no telling how many people might still be up here, or what kind of weapons - or even magic - they might possess. The place itself might even be rigged with boobytraps designed to harm intruders.

As they walked down the slope and the light grew gradually brighter, more and taller trees rose up around and in front of them - a sight that should have been encouraging, telling them that they were getting away from the most exposed part of the mountain.

Instead, it produced the opposite reaction in Rey. Something about these trees felt wrong. They grew in crooked, twisted shapes that Rey tried to reassure herself were probably only created by the harsh winds up here, near the summit of the ridge. But as she passed each one, she imagined its limbs reaching out to snag at her.  She moved closer to Ben’s large form. He tightened his hand in hers possessively, and she wondered if he was having the same reaction.

Finally, they caught sight of a number of stone buildings, all in various states of disrepair. They had reached the ruins of Scarif.

And just in time - the sun was just barely beginning to creep out from behind the ridge. Rey sucked in a breath and grasped Ben’s hand more tightly as they strode forward into the city.

The ruins did not cover a large area. Rey imagined that the few, tough people who had eked out a living up here in the mountains must have been all too pleased to use their superior weapons and magic to conquer territories in a more forgiving climate. And the buildings themselves were what one might expect in a place that had been abandoned - or, at least, mostly abandoned - for centuries. Crumbling stones, buildings with only one wall, or two, left standing.

But there was something in the air of the place that spoke of something more threatening. The feeling of wrongness that Rey had first experienced in the forest was growing stronger, now that they were here in the ruins. A glance at Ben confirmed that he was feeling the same.

“What is it?” Rey whispered.

“Old Magic," Ben murmured in her ear. "Centuries of wizards using it in this city, in the surrounding land. It bleeds into the soil and lasts, long after the spells have worn off.”

Rey shivered, and huddled against Ben’s body. Based on what they had found in Maz’s archives, Rey knew that, while some of the wizards of Scarif may have used the Old Magic for good - helping crops grow, protecting animals, keeping the worst of the weather away - the good spells were inextricably tied up with the bad. There was no way to use the Old Magic without unleashing some of its evil into the world. The traces of the ancient sorcery lingering here filled Rey’s lungs like an unpleasant smell, which she tried to ignore as they continued walking down what must have once been the city’s main thoroughfare.

All at once, Ben stopped, sinking to his knees and covering his ears and whimpering as if he were in pain.

Rey dropped down beside him and pulled him close to her. “What is it? What are you hearing?” she murmured, rubbing his back, trying to call him back from whatever dark place he had disappeared into.

Finally, he sank into her embrace, leaning his head against her shoulder. “Snoke. He knows we’re here.”

She inhaled sharply. It made sense - what else would they be going into the mountains for, after all? - but that didn’t make that knowledge any less disconcerting.

They were still on their knees, the snow seeping through their breeches, Rey's arms still around Ben, when a cold gust of wind blew toward them from the direction of the main square below.

She raised her head, and the clouds of snow being kicked up by the wind suddenly took the shape of a nasty-looking creature - dragon, perhaps? The figure’s mouth opened, as if to consume them.  Then it passed through Rey and Ben’s kneeling forms, covering them in a thin layer of powder, roaring as it did, “Stay away, mortals!”

And then, just as quickly as it had arisen, it was gone again.

Ben raised his head, finally, and looked at Rey. “Just an illusion,” he muttered, “set up to scare intruders. I suspect this means that there’s nothing more powerful in the city’s defenses - but let’s be careful, all the same.”

Rey took his hand, and together, they continued on.

Among the crumbling buildings, just shy of the main square, they spotted a cluster of buildings with well-maintained thatched roofs, and smoke coming out of a chimney.

Ben reached for his sword, but Rey shook her head. “We’re not going to get what we want if we try to take it by force. We need to reason with them, make them understand that we need their knowledge to stop destruction, not to cause it.”

They walked into the largest building, where the smoke was coming from, hand-in-hand. If they were going to convince these monks to listen to them, then they needed to show respect and submission. As they pushed through the fabric blocking the door and entered the room, Rey used her hand in Ben’s to push him down to his knees beside her.

The man’s voice was harsher now, less sympathetic. “We have already told you, we don’t have what you’re looking for. Return to where you came from or suffer the consequences.”

Rey kept her head bowed as she spoke. “We come seeking your help and guidance to save our people. A powerful wizard is trying to break the seals on the Old Magic that Alexios set centuries ago, and we need to know how to stop him.”

The woman’s voice was not at all kind. “Nothing good can come from meddling with the Old Magic. Even for those who claim to have nothing but good intentions, using the Old Magic will only end in destruction.”

Rey looked around for the first time. The room was small and simple, with a fire blazing in the middle to keep out some of the chill. The only decoration was a large icon of the Mother Goddess at the front of the room.

Rey wondered if it really was just these two monks, alone in this unforgiving landscape. “We can’t turn back now,” she told their two interlocutors with as much conviction as she could muster. “This wizard, Snoke, has already broken many of the seals, and the Old Magic is already seeping into the world.” She turned to Ben. “Show them.”

Ben muttered, “ _deite_ ,” under his breath, and the spell must have gotten more powerful, since even without his touch, the images he projected into her mind were crisp and clear. She could only hope that the two monks were seeing what he was sending out just as clearly. Images of Snoke, of his ritual sacrifices, of his library and travels, of the fireballs attacking D’Qar, of the bodies and destruction, of Luke’s words. He said nothing as he was casting the spell, but beneath everything, she could detect an undercurrent of desperation and fear. Ben thought this was their last chance at swaying the guardians of this place.

At last, the images faded. When the woman spoke again, her voice was tired, drained. “We know of this Snoke. He came here years ago, seeking the same thing you are. Our order tried to stop him, but to no avail. He left only the two of us alive as a warning to others who might come after us.”

She fixed Rey with her gaze, and Rey found herself getting lost in its stormy depths. “We are the last of an order that has lived up here in isolation for centuries. Our purpose was to keep safe the hidden library of Alexios, and we will do that until the last of us has perished. We have never before concerned ourselves with the problems of the Empire. Why should we intervene for you?”

Rey spoke again, trying desperately to keep her voice steady and calm. “Because if Snoke manages to break open the seals on the Old Magic, nowhere will be safe from his destruction.”

The man turned to his companion, and they spoke in low whispers, before he addressed Rey and Ben again, his voice resigned. “We will show you what we have. But I still do not know if it will help you.”

Rey nodded. “Thank you. We are most grateful to you for your help.”

The man and the woman led them out of the main building and into a smaller building that was stacked with books and papers of various sorts. “Here are the papers Alexios left here,” the man said. “The papers he wrote later in his life, soon before the exodus to the coast, are here.” He pointed to a shelf toward the left side of the room. “Those are the most likely to have what you are looking for.”

Ben nodded, then crouched to investigate the manuscripts on the shelf. Rey leaned against the wall, suddenly feeling useless - she would only slow Ben down in his search. Then the woman caught her eye, and motioned to her to leave the small library.

Once they were outside, the woman remarked, “I have something else to show you, if you’ll follow me.”

The woman led her through the main square into one of the larger, ruined buildings whose stone facade still stood proudly as a testament to its endurance through the ages. Sunlight streamed into the building through a hole in the roof, and the floor under the hole was covered in a light dusting of snow.

But the rest of the building was mostly intact, and from the look of it, Rey guessed that it had once been a temple. At the front of the building stood a statue that must have once been dedicated to the Goddess, although with its features worn away by time and an arm missing, it was a little difficult to tell. The walls were lined with frescoes, many of which were barely visible, but a few of which seemed to have been barely touched by time. The age of this building - perhaps centuries older even than the Great Temple in Coruscant - made Rey shudder as she thought of the long-dead generations that must have worshipped here.

Rey found herself drawn to an almost fully intact fresco near the entrance, which depicted two men and a woman holding hands in a circle. A halo of light shone above their heads. Rey ran her fingers over the halo in wonder. “Who are they?” she whispered to her companion.

“In the Empire, the Emperor still takes an Empress and a First Knight when he comes to the throne, does he not?”

Rey nodded.

The woman turned to the fresco. “In the old times, when the Emperor was crowned, he joined hands with his Empress and First Knight in a blood ceremony to link their powers and destinies together.”

So the halo above their heads was that power manifesting. Power that could be strong enough to lock away dangerous magic, or defeat even a powerful sorcerer? Rey looked sharply at the woman.

“This is what you were searching for, is it not?” the woman asked. But when Rey moved to hurry back to the library, the woman put a hand out. “I imagine your companion is discovering the same thing now as he reads.”

Rey nodded, and the woman turned to leave. Ben would discover what he needed on his own, and they would share what they had found when he was finished.

Alone now, Rey felt a chill pass through her as the freezing winds whipped through the temple’s broken door. But this place’s magic wasn’t fully evil, as frightening as it was. It had shown her what they needed to do in order to have a chance of defeating Snoke. Perhaps it had more to teach her, still.

So Rey set aside the fear she felt at the power of this place, and allowed the building’s long history to wash over her. As she let go of her feelings of dread and apprehension, for the first time since she had set foot in these ruins, Rey found a kind of peace.

Taking a seat on the dusty ground in front of the fresco, Rey pressed her hands together in front of her heart, and closed her eyes in imitation of what she had seen Ben do before, when he wanted to commune with the spirit of a place. Listening to her own slow breathing and the soft sounds of the wind creaking through the remaining rafters of the temple, she meditated, listening for the voices of past Emperors and Empresses and wizards and First Knights, and letting their wisdom sink into her.

***

When Ben set out to find Rey that evening, as the sun was sinking below the next ridge, he could feel her magic before he saw her, radiating out from her warm body. He couldn’t help smiling as tendrils of her power caressed him gently.

When he entered the temple and saw the fresco she had been meditating in front of, he knew that he didn’t need to tell her what he had found. Her face, warily hopeful, confirmed it. He pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Let’s find a warm place to hole up for the night,” he murmured, “and then go back and tell Hux what we found.”

***

Hux ran his hand over the cool gray stones set in the wall of the map room, trying to imagine what Rey and Kylo might be seeing and doing. It had been almost two weeks since he’d last had contact from Ren, the warm fingers of Ren’s magic touching his consciousness and letting him know that his First Knight was still alive. He usually tried not to think about the possible fates that might have befallen his wife and his lover since he had last had a sign from them.

But tonight, he couldn’t stop himself from wondering where they could be. Were they now in the mountains, walking the streets of a city no one from the Empire had visited in generations, uncovering vast stores of forgotten knowledge in its moldy and decaying libraries? Or had they failed to find anything at all?

He didn’t turn when he heard heavy footsteps entering the room behind him. There was only one person it could be.

“Phasma,” he bit out, casting off his doubts and imbuing himself with as much of his usual confidence as he could muster. “Report.”

He turned then, and caught the slightest smirk on her face, before it melted away into her usual neutral expression. “No sign of any threats, sir. By sea or by land.”

Hux exhaled slowly. Snoke had to know by now that the Empire’s two most powerful sorcerers were far from Coruscant. Why hadn’t he attacked yet? What was the old man waiting for?

“Very well,” he declared finally. “Keep up the current watch schedule.”

Phasma nodded, but she didn’t immediately turn to leave. Hux raised an eyebrow.

Finally, she took a step toward him, and laid a firm hand on his shoulder. He closed his eyes and sighed. He had forgotten how much he missed having people to lean on, to bear some of the burden of ruling with him, if not for him. There was nothing but friendship between him and Phasma, and yet he appreciated her touch all the same. It reminded him that he wasn’t alone in this.

“They will come back,” she told him, her voice warm with conviction. “If there is anything left in Scarif, they will find it, and they will come back to us.”

Somehow, the word “us” felt comforting. It wasn’t just him waiting for Rey and Ren to return; all of their people were depending on his wizards.

***

Although Rey tried not to think too much about why their two hosts now had so much space, she was extremely grateful that she and Ben had been permitted to roll out their cloaks and light a fire in one of the empty monastery buildings. The thought of spending another night in the snow in their last pathetic excuse for a shelter had not appealed to her at all.

But the room was still cold, despite the solid walls and their decent fire, and Rey didn’t hesitate at all to join Ben in their makeshift bedroll.  He sighed and put a large arm around her as she snuggled close to him.

“Rey,” he murmured, kissing her temple, “I read something in the library. Something I’d like to try?”

Rey felt her eyelids already sliding closed, exhaustion from that day - and, for that matter, their entire journey - weighing heavily on her. But she managed to mumble, “Hm?” in response.

“I think I can get in contact with Hux.”

That had her wide awake again immediately. Hux? As far as she knew, Ben hadn’t been able to reach their Emperor since soon after they entered the forest. “How?” she asked, trying to keep her hopes from rising too high as she turned over to face Ben.

“I found a spell in the library here. It’s a very different method for long-distance communication than what I’m familiar with, and I think I may be able to use it to reach Coruscant, if I do it right.”

Rey was still curled up, naked, under their cloaks, and now grasped Ben’s hands tightly. “Use my magic to extend your reach, if you need it. See what you can do.”

This spell was apparently a very different type of magic from what they were used to, because Ben said no words, simply closed his eyes and screwed up his face in concentration. But it didn’t have the sour aftertaste of the Old Magic that Rey had been feeling all day, so she assumed it was safe enough.

After several long moments, Ben finally whispered, “I found him.”

Rey sucked in a breath, waiting.

After another minute, Ben’s face relaxed visibly. “Everything’s fine in Coruscant. No sign of Snoke.”

That news was better than Rey had feared, although it was still unsettling. Why had Snoke gone after the two of them, and left the capital, which was now basically defenseless against his magic, alone? It made no sense - unless it was part of the game he was playing with them. She shivered.

But Ben was speaking again, and now his hands were rubbing her upper arms tenderly. “He misses us,” Ben whispered, as if he was almost afraid of saying the words aloud.

The words should have scared her. If nothing else, then as proof that the night the three of them had spent together had been foolish and ill-conceived. But instead, she found a thrill running through her body at the thought. Before she had time to rethink it, Rey murmured, “Tell him how I feel in your arms.”

Ben groaned loudly. Then, his voice again soft, he replied, “Hux says he doesn’t need me to tell him. He can feel you himself.”

***

When Hux told Ben, through their strange mental connection, that he could feel Rey in his arms, Ben nearly lost control altogether.

Ben had known, when he started casting the spell, that it would feel very different from the spells he usually used to communicate at a distance. But this - that Hux could feel through his body - was not something he had expected at all.

Now, he could hear Hux’s voice, murmuring, _Touch her for me._

“Hux wants me to touch you,” he whispered to Rey, and she shivered against him, before groaning, “Goddess, yes.”

And somehow, the knowledge that Hux could feel his hands moving over her lithe body made it so much more powerful, more heady, more intoxicating. Slowly, he ran his hands over Rey’s breasts, down her stomach, dipping low between her thighs.

The next instruction Hux gave him nearly sent Ben over the edge. _I want to taste her again._

“Rey,” he murmured, nipping at her neck, “can we taste you?”

She whimpered, “Goddess, yes.”

He flipped her around, so he could slide down her body without exposing any part of their naked bodies to the cold air around them. Then, laying her out in front of him, smoothing his palms down her inner thighs, he tentatively put his mouth to her.

The first two times they had bedded down together, it had been unexpected and fast and desperate, and Ben hadn’t had time to consider how best to go about pleasing Rey. But now, with her spread before him, it occurred to him that Rey was the first woman he had made love to. She would respond differently than Hux did, of course, but he wasn’t confident that he knew precisely how to give her pleasure.

Hux’s voice came into his head again, pointing out helpfully, _She likes it when you start slow._ He followed Hux’s instructions, licking gently around her clit, slowly thrusting his tongue inside her. She moaned deliciously in response, and in his head, Hux groaned, _Goddess, that’s good. I can feel her on my tongue. Use your fingers as you give her more pleasure._

Ben couldn’t help but moan at the words. If Hux kept talking like this, he was going to come outside of Rey - and he doubted that Hux had that in mind for tonight.

So, tamping down on his own impending orgasm as much as he could, Ben focused on Rey, responding to her soft moans and whimpers with his tongue on her clit and his fingers inside her. The knowledge that Hux had given her pleasure this way, too, on their last night together in Coruscant, nearly undid him.

Soon enough, she was shaking against him, and Hux was telling him, _I want to feel us inside her_ , and Rey was tugging him up her body and whimpering, “Kriff, Ben, I need you both,” and finally, he was plunging inside her wet, welcoming cunt, his hands cupping her breasts and her hands clawing at his chest.

He tried to start slowly, to give her a chance to adjust to his large shaft, but immediately both she and Hux began ordering him to go faster and harder, and before long, he was thrusting in and out of her like a stallion in rut, to Rey’s loud cries of pleasure and Hux’s grunts through their telepathic link.

The moment he came inside Rey, he didn’t need Hux to tell him that their Emperor had also spilled into his hand, and Rey shuddered deliciously beneath him.

As Ben pulled Rey into his arms, he felt her withdrawing from them again, and he tightened his embrace around her. “Rey,” he murmured, knowing that the spell was still connecting them to Hux, “you’re ours now.”

She turned to press a gentle kiss to his nose. “I know, my loves," she sighed, "I know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And to think it was almost just more reylo smut at the end of this chapter! Thank you to Aleister and Solee for inspiring me to bring Hux back in not-quite-physical form ;)


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Drafting the last few chapters has been rough because SO MUCH HAPPENS but I'm going to aim to get them posted in a _slightly_ more reasonable amount of time than it took to do this one.  <3

Hux met them outside the city walls, in full ceremonial dress, sitting proudly astride Millicent and looking utterly regal.

Rey felt her breath catch in her throat at the sight. As much as she wanted to deny it, she had missed him.

And as much as she wanted to tell herself that, if they managed to defeat Snoke and survive, she would have done what they had asked of her and be free to go, she realized at that moment that she could never leave these two men. The man riding at her side, the man she was now approaching - they were her home, and the longer she spent denying it, the more unhappy she would be.

Hux gifted her with one of his rare smiles, and as she rode up beside him, he took her hand and pressed a gentle kiss to its back. Rey shuddered, recalling that the last time she had seen him, he had been lying in bed, sated, after a long night of love-making.

“Welcome home, my Empress,” he murmured. Then, with a nod and a smoldering look aimed at Ben, he turned to lead them into the city.

And it felt so right, the three of them riding in a small triangle, Hux at the front and Rey and Ben forming the back legs. This wasn’t a formal procession by any means, but people, seeing their royals passing by, still came out to greet them as they rode through the poorer districts of the city.

The contrast from the last time they had ridden through a crowd like this was marked. The expressions on people’s faces looked hopeful, and many cheered as they passed. Apparently Rey’s aid program had gone a long way toward making the people feel more pleased with their leaders.

When they crossed into the wealthier districts of the city, though, the feeling changed markedly. There were still crowds, and there was still cheering, but the smiles on these people’s faces looked strained and forced. They might have convinced the poorer residents of Coruscant to trust them, but that apparently did not hold for the nobility.

Before long, the walls of the palace were looming before them, and Rey’s immediate reaction was fear. Was she really going to allow herself to be locked up in this cage again, even if she had come to love her captors?

But as she looked over at Ben, he shot her an encouraging look, and took her hand briefly in his. With these two men by her side, perhaps she could deal even with this.

***

Maz, Phasma, and Irene met them at the staircase that led to the catacombs, each of them carrying a torch. The texts Ben had found had reported that three witnesses were required for the ceremony, so the three women were the natural choices. After all, they intended for the rest of the court - including Hux’s council - to remain ignorant of the proceedings. There was no telling who might be reporting to Snoke at this point.

Each of them had received a ritual bath that morning - Irene had bathed Rey - and they were dressed in plain robes - white for Rey, red for Hux, and black for Ben. Unlike her usual habits, Rey’s hair fell long down her back, as did Ben’s, and even Hux’s short hair was arranged less severely than usual.

Rey felt her hands tremble a bit as she took Irene’s hand to descend the staircase into the catacombs. She knew the outline of what would happen, but this had never been done even in Maz’s long memory, and none of them knew how much magic the ceremony would unleash. Rey couldn’t silence a nagging voice that whispered that the surge of power might very well kill one - or all - of them. But this was their only hope for defeating Snoke, so it was worth the uncertainty and fear.

Maz, who was leading the way with her arm linked in Hux’s, brought them deeper into the catacombs than they had gone on Rey’s previous visit. As they passed Brendol the Great’s tomb, Rey could barely make out the shapes of the statues that marked the people whose remains lay there.

After what felt like miles, the corridor finally opened up into what Rey could just barely see in the torchlight as a large, round room with a domed ceiling. The walls, the floor, and the ceiling were all made of smooth blocks of stone, with no decorations visible. Except for, as they approached the center of the room, Rey could see three stones in the floor with inscriptions on them. Then this must be the tomb of Emperor Roderick the Great, Empress Zoe the Just, and his First Knight, Alexios the Wise. Where the ceremony would take place.

Irene moved Rey so she was standing on top of what must be Empress Zoe’s tombstone. Phasma was moving Ben and Maz was moving Hux in the same way. Then, as the three of them stood in a ring in the center of the tomb, Maz began to intone the words Ben had found in the texts in Scarif. Rey took a deep breath, centering herself, as she listened to the archaic words. They could do this. They would use this power to defeat Snoke.

Then it was time. Rey trembled slightly as Irene cut shallow gashes in both of her hands, just as Maz and Phasma were doing on either side of her. Then she grasped Ben’s hand on one side, and Hux’s hand on the other, their blood mingling and falling to the stone floor as they said together, “enoste ta cheria, entachthoun psyches."

Rey felt a jolt of power surge through her. She shut her eyes tightly and channeled all of her strength into keeping her hands clasped with Ben’s and Hux’s. Behind her closed eyelids, colors flashed. Her knees buckled, threatening to send her tumbling to the ground. She held onto each man’s hand, desperately trying to keep her footing, as if she were fighting against an immense blast of icy wind.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. Rey opened her eyes to glance over at the two men, who had visibly relaxed. When she released their hands and looked at her own, she was surprised to see nothing but a thin scar running down each palm.

Rey felt her legs wobble under her as Irene placed a steadying arm behind her back and led her back out of the tomb. The return trip through the catacombs and back to the palace was a blur in Rey’s mind as she leaned against Irene to keep from falling, relying on her soothing presence to keep her upright.

When they stumbled out of the back entrance to the Great Temple, after some indeterminate amount of time spent underground, the daylight was nearly blinding. Rey had to throw an arm across her eyes and turn her gaze to the ground so she could see well enough to make her way, arm in arm, back to their private quarters.

Phasma, Irene, and Maz left Rey in the sitting room with Ben and Hux, and the three of them immediately cuddled up together on one of the couches, Rey’s head resting on Hux’s shoulder as Ben nuzzled against her neck. Rey was exhausted, drained by the magic that had been forced out of her and then back inside her, and all she wanted at this point was to sleep.

***

The ceremony was not over yet. Ben had decided to let his Emperor and Empress rest for a little while before they began the second part, but now, as the sun began to sink below the now-distant mountains, painting the sea below them brilliant shades of oranges and purples, he knew it was time to begin.

Dinner had been brought to them in the sitting room, and although none of them ate much, the ceremony’s magic having depleted their appetites, Ben made sure each of them had something in their stomachs before he stood and held out his hands for Hux and Rey.

“It’s time,” he announced.

Hux seemed to catch his meaning immediately and took his hand, drawing close to Ben. Rey, however, simply looked up at him, uncomprehending.

“Time for what?” she murmured, still curled up sleepily on the couch.

Hux looked at Ben, then ruffled Rey’s hair affectionately. “Time to consummate our union.”

Rey’s eyes widened for a moment, but then she nodded, and Hux began to move toward the bedroom as Ben leaned down to scoop Rey up in his arms. She sighed against him, her body warm and heavy as he brought her into Hux’s bedroom and laid her gently on the bed.

Hux came up beside him, trailing his fingers lightly down Ben’s back. “Were there instructions as to how to proceed?”

Ben nodded. “You and I begin.”

He could hear Rey inhale sharply, and she sat up against the pillows as Ben pulled Hux in for a long, slow kiss. Just because this was a blood ritual, didn’t mean it needed to be devoid of feeling.

Gently, Ben slid Hux’s robe off his shoulders and let it pool on the floor. Behind them, he could hear Rey inhale sharply. “Sweetheart,” he murmured to her, turning Hux in his arms so that their Emperor was facing her, his body bared to her. “Do you like what you see?”

As he bent to suck on Hux’s neck, Rey crawled forward on the bed and stood up on her knees to kiss Hux for herself. The moan Hux let out when Rey pulled back slightly only served to encourage Ben, and he let his hands roam down the redhead’s body.

“Rey, darling,” Hux groaned, “I want to you to kiss me while Ben fucks me.”

Rey whimpered, “Oh, Goddess,” in response, and Ben took that as his cue to continue. Reaching for the bottle of oil Hux kept by the bed, Ben slid a slick finger into Hux’s ass.

“Kriff, Ben,” Hux moaned against him, and it struck Ben suddenly that this was the first time Hux had called him that. Somehow, that made this feel so much more intimate - that Hux no longer thought of him as his First Knight, as the violent killing machine Snoke had turned him into. No - he was just Ben now.

When he was sure Hux was ready, Ben thrust into him from behind, the two of them still standing as Rey kissed Hux fiercely on his other side. She had never seen him and Hux together, Ben realized, and it felt like they had just opened a crucial part of their lives up to her. The thought made him seek out Rey’s lips as he continued to increase his speed, his hands finding Hux’s hard prick and beginning to rub him in rhythm with his thrusts.

Eventually, Rey’s hand joined his, and their two mouths linked with Hux panting between the two of them.

And at that moment it occurred to him that perhaps it was time to start the second part of the ritual. “Hux,” he murmured, pulling away from Rey’s lips, “fuck Rey while I’m fucking you.”

Hux’s answering groan nearly made Ben come inside him. But he held himself back, needing to feel Hux thrusting into Rey as he fucked Hux.

Rey lay back on the bed, her robe hanging open as his was, and spread her legs. Hux stepped between them, and a moment later, Ben could feel him thrusting into her.

And suddenly, words sprang into Ben’s mind, words he couldn’t have held back, even if he had wanted to. He pulled Hux’s face around to find his Emperor’s lips, then he declared, “I love you, Hux.” Hux groaned in response, and his thrusts into Rey began to speed up. Then Ben bent down to Rey’s face and kissed her, too, repeating, “I love you, Rey.” Her eyes flew open to meet his, but then closed again in pleasure - Hux’s fingers must have found her clit.

At that moment, the reality of what Ben had just admitted hit him. Would this muck everything up, letting them know how he felt? Was it possible neither of them felt the same?

Hux chased those thoughts away immediately by turning back to meet Ben’s lips again, and murmuring against them, “I love you, too, Ben.” He saw his lover bend down then, and meet Rey’s lips as well, and he assumed he was telling her the same.

But Rey said nothing.

Hux’s fingers eventually sent her tumbling into what must have been a powerful orgasm, given how much it had her trembling and shaking, and Hux spilling into her sent Ben over the edge, as well. Ben pulled out of Hux, and briefly cleaned them both, before collapsing to the bed, on one side of Hux, as Rey settled onto the other. He trailed long, slow kisses up Hux’s neck as Rey rested her head on the Emperor’s chest.

If this was as close to love as the three of them were going to get, then Ben decided at that moment that he would take it.

***

Rey woke when the candles had already guttered out, and both men were breathing heavily in their sleep beside her. She rose on one arm to look at Hux and Ben, curled up together, Ben’s head resting in the curve of Hux’s shoulder. They fit together so perfectly.

And how did she fit into this? That evening, both of them had told her they loved her, yes, but it had been in the throes of passion. Was she really anything more to them than a source of magic power?

She sighed, and rolled onto her back, away from the Emperor and his First Knight. It had been a mistake, to allow her emotions to get mixed up in all of this. Once they managed to defeat Snoke - if they managed to defeat Snoke - then she needed to take the first opportunity to get out of the palace, and back to the desert. Her sanity depended on it.

Hux stirred beside her, and Rey tried to pretend that she was still asleep. She didn’t want to talk to him - not now, not while her emotions were still painfully rolling around inside her.

But her subterfuge didn’t hold. Soon, she felt Hux’s hand ghosting across her cheek, his lips finding hers. When she opened her eyes, despite the darkness in the room, the tenderness she found in his gaze nearly winded her.

“Rey,” he murmured, as he kissed her gently, unhurried, “don’t run away from us.”

She gave no response. She had none to give. She wasn’t willing to give in to him, just because he looked sincere now, when they were in bed together. But she could let his hands caress her skin, his lips taste hers, and she could fall into the fantasy that this was something that could last. It would make the ending more painful, she thought, but there was little she could do to avoid that at this point. It would hurt, no matter what she did.

But Hux’s fingers tightened on her chin as he pulled away from her, his eyes pinning hers mercilessly. “You’re still thinking of running.” There was no question in his voice - he knew the truth.

Suddenly Ben leaned over Hux, his lips coming to rest on the Emperor’s exposed neck as his eyes met Rey’s hungrily. Rey hadn’t even realized he was awake.

Hux growled, then turned to Ben, pulling his knight’s lips down to meet his. “Ben,” he muttered as he pulled away slightly, “It seems that we still need to convince Rey that she’s ours now.”

Rey felt her breath catch at the clear possession in Hux’s voice. It might have scared her, had he not at that moment pulled her between himself and Ben, and begun to caress her hips and breasts with tender strokes of his hands while Ben claimed her mouth.

“Rey,” Hux spoke again, his mouth close to Rey’s ear, “Ben hasn’t been inside you tonight. Would you like to take him while I touch you?”

Ben pulled away to watch for her reply, and Rey was stunned by the tenderness she found in his eyes. They were in bed together, naked and covered in sex, and he was still waiting for her to tell him it was alright for him to fuck her again. She laid her hand on the back of his neck and tugged his lips gently toward him.

“Take me.”

And then, as Ben pushed inside her and Hux’s hands moved so that one found her clit and the other a nipple, as Hux’s mouth moved to her neck while Ben continued to take her mouth, Rey found the feeling of being cherished by these two men overwhelming.

“Rey,” Hux murmured as Ben’s pace began to pick up, and the redhead’s strokes along Rey’s clit sped up in time, “we love you. We want you here. With us. For the rest of our lives.”

As Hux spoke into Rey’s ear, Ben buried his face in Rey’s neck, mumbling incoherently, although she thought she heard “love you” and “Rey” and “stay” in the jumble of sounds he was producing.

But Hux continued to speak, forcing her to hear his words as Ben’s length filled her so perfectly. “We want you to stay with us, Rey. Bear our children. Grow old with us. Complete us. Let us love you, Rey.”

Then Ben’s lips found hers again, and Hux’s fingers threw her headlong into orgasm as Ben stuttered and came right after.

As they fell apart and Ben and Hux wove their arms around her, Rey found herself in a tangle of limbs and fluids and warm male bodies and…love? She sighed and buried her face in Ben’s chest.

She felt his lips graze the top of her head. “You don’t need to answer us now,” he whispered, as Hux’s lips found her neck and caressed it in silent agreement with Ben. “We’ll wait as long as you need us to. But just know that we love you, Rey. Not because of your magic or anything else. We love you now, and we always will.”

***

When Hux awoke, he immediately decided that waking up beside his Empress and his First Knight after a night of making love with both of them was the best feeling possible. Rey and Ben - the name fit now, Hux discovered with surprise - were both draped over him, and all of their limbs were tangled together companionably as Hux’s two lovers continued sleeping peacefully on either side of him.

No, that wasn’t quite right, Hux considered. Yesterday’s ritual had been as much a marriage ceremony as it had been a way of unlocking and combining magical powers. They were really both his spouses now, he supposed.

The dawn light had barely begun to illuminate the bedroom, but Hux was fully aware that Phasma would be waiting for him with the latest reports on the growing insurgency in the port cities, and he really needed to dive into them before he needed to attend another pointless council meeting. Pressing tender kisses to both Rey’s and Kylo’s cheeks, he set about extracting himself without waking them. They deserved a little extra rest, he thought fondly, given what they would probably soon be facing from Snoke. He smiled as Rey stirred, moaning quietly, and ran a hand down her cheek until she stilled. Then he stood and dressed.

But Phasma wasn’t in the sitting room, as Hux had expected. Hux suddenly felt uneasy - Phasma was never late for their morning meetings. If anything, she rose earlier than he did. And when he checked with the guards at the main gate, they confirmed that she had not yet arrived at the palace. So he took Milly from the stables and set off at a fast canter for Phasma’s town house.

When he dismounted in the courtyard, there was no one around, so he went straight to the door and banged on it until Phasma’s maid emerged, a terrified look on her face.

“Your Majesty!” she nearly shouted as she dipped into a low curtsy. “You- you shouldn’t be here. Lady Phasma gave me instructions not to let anyone in, especially you.”

Now Hux felt himself starting to panic. This was completely unlike Phasma. Something was terribly wrong. But he fought down his fear and clipped out, “As your sovereign, I order you to bring me to your mistress.” He hated doing things like this, but he was not going to let Phasma simply turn him away at the door if there was something wrong.

The maid curtsied again, her face now a mask of sheer terror, as she led him inside.

Phasma was sitting, mute, in the sitting room, her hands clasped in her lap. Hux had never seen her look so vulnerable and lost before.

“I told Rachel not to let you in.” Her voice was soft, and had none of her usual humor and bite.

Hux sat beside her and took her hand. “Phasma,” he murmured, “what’s going on?”

He watched her take a deep breath, then she bit out, “Hask came by with the magistrate’s guard early this morning. He’s bringing Irene to trial for adultery.”

Hux froze. They had all known that this was a possibility, ever since their unsuccessful attempt to get Irene a divorce from Hask, but the timing was too horrible to be a coincidence. Was Hask actually trying to undermine their fight against Snoke by incapacitating his top advisor? Was it possible his councilman was not only a slimy plotter, but actually in league with Snoke? Not just a pain in the ass, but an actual traitor?

Phasma pulled Hux out of his thoughts with her next words. “You shouldn’t be here, Hux. You’ll have to preside at the trial, and being seen with me at this point will compromise the council’s faith in your judgment.”

Hux felt his stomach drop out from under him. This wouldn’t just trying to undermine Phasma - this had the potential to undermine Hux himself. To distract him from putting up an effective defense against Snoke. He cursed aloud, and Phasma raised an eyebrow at him.

“We’ll get Irene back to you, Phasma,” he said, putting more confidence into his voice than he felt. “We’re not going to let her go to the chopping block.” But even those words made another shiver of cold fear run through Hux - because they both knew that the penalty for a woman caught in adultery was almost invariably death.


End file.
